Cabildo insular
Cabildos are a Spanish system of government administration that are now only used in the Canary Islands, where they are known as cabildos insulares, each governing one of the seven main islands - Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. The island of La Graciosa falls under the jurisdiction of the cabildo of Lanzarote.
The members of a cabildo are elected by direct universal suffrage by the Spanish citizens of each island. The membership is determined by party-list proportional representation.
The cabildos were created under the Law of Cabildos of 1912. In Francoist Spain they were appointed rather than elected. Cabildos exercise a level of authority between those of their province and their autonomous communities in matters of health, environment, culture, sports, industry, roads, drinking water and irrigation, hunting and fishing licensing, museums, beaches, public transportation and land organization. Cabildos can impose fuel taxes.
