The “PS/PSD coalition that governs the Portimão City Council has lost its mind for good” and uses as a weapon “the lack of institutional meaning, the flight, turning its back on Portimão, the lack of attendance and blackmail”.
The words, very harsh, are from the Left Block and the coalition «Servir Portimão» (CDS+MPT+PPM+dissidents of the PSD) and are used to classify the absence of the seven elements of the PS and three of the four elements of the PSD of the Extraordinary Municipal Assembly that had been called potestatively by the opposition for last Monday night, ending up canceled due to lack of quorum.
In a statement signed by Fernando Gião, leader of the Municipal Group of «Servir Portimão» in AM, the coalition says that Democracy in the municipality of Portimão was «victim of one of the most serious, cowardly and lowly attacks». It is that, he recalls, «the elected PS and PSD (with the exception of member Luís Martins) in the Municipal Assembly of Portimão chose, in a conscious and thoughtful manner, desertion, avoidance of debate and an attitude of the most primary political cowardice, proper of those who claim to respect the democratic regime, but then, in practice, demonstrate a repeated inability to practice, in the day-to-day life of institutions freely elected by the people, the most elementary democratic rules».
The coalition recalls that, «confronted with the repeated refusal» of the AM president, the socialist Francisco Florêncio, «to schedule a meeting of that body to discuss the repeal of the Municipal Regulation of the Civil Protection Fee», the elected representatives of «Servir de Portimão », from the Left Bloc and the elected by the PSD Luís Miguel Martins «exercised a right provided for in the law and in the Rules of Procedure of the same Assembly, having themselves scheduled the same meeting».
In addition, «confronted with the instructions» of the AM president, «so that the advertising expenses of the same meeting were not supported by the budget» of that body, it was Fernando Gião who was «obliged to pay, out of his own pocket, the expenses resulting from the publication of the advertisement'.
«Servir Portimão»: PS and PSD municipal deputies «yesterday [Monday] raised the disrespect for Portimão to a level never seen in Portimão»
The coalition, in its statement, considers that the PS and PSD municipal deputies "raised yesterday [Monday] the disrespect for Portimonenses to a level never seen in Portimão", for having missed the scheduled meeting "in a concerted and unjustified manner ", thus "making it impossible, due to lack of quorum”, the realization of AM.
However, ironizes «Servir Portimão», his absence «was witnessed by the presence of nearly a dozen PSP agents called by the Executive of the City Council, who faithfully guarded the Paços do Concelho building».
Accusing the alliance between PS and PSD in the Chamber and AM of being "unnatural", "Servir Portimão" considers that that "perfidious coalition behaves as if the autarchy were a reserve of the political center, without rules, only subordinated to whims. moments of those who have not yet realized, after nearly 40 years, that political positions are transitory and ephemeral, always depending on the popular will, expressed through the vote».
The Left Block, for its part, also in a statement, classified the lack of attendance that made the AM Extraordinaria unfeasible as a "very regrettable" episode, considering that it "reveals a great lack of respect for the Municipal Assembly - which, as a democratic body, it must be dignified – but also before the citizens of Portimão!”
The Block also argues that the interpretation made by the president of AM that the Municipal Assembly does not have the power to revoke decisions of the City Council, namely to revoke the Regulation of the controversial Municipal Civil Protection Tax (argument that, as Francisco Florêncio himself revealed to the Sul Informação, was at the basis of his order refusing to schedule the extraordinary meeting requested by the opposition) is “a distorted and biased interpretation of the functions and competences of the Municipal Assembly”.
"The agenda also contemplated other points, such as the declaration of nullity of the decision taken by the Municipal Assembly itself that approved the Fee Regulation and recommendation to the Chamber to suspend the settlement and collection of the fee and return the amounts already charged to the citizens" , adds the BE, in its statement.
Block: Episode "reveals a great lack of respect for the Municipal Assembly – which, as a democratic body, should be dignified – but also for the citizens of Portimão!"
Therefore, for the blocistas, «what is really happening is that the PS/PSD coalition that governs the Portimão Council “has lost its mind for good” and is afraid to face the Portimão».
The Bloc also recalls that it has always «voted against the tax and its Regulation» and «has sought to mobilize the population against this injustice», having its councilor João Vasconcelos presented, «in the Chamber meetings of October 7th and 21st, proposals for the immediate revocation of the Municipal Civil Protection Tax, which were rejected by the PS/PSD coalition».
However, on Tuesday, the PS/Portimão already had issued a press release about this episode, in which he accused the opposition of “instrumentalizing” AM, “distorting the plural character on which its composition is based”.
Socialists argue that “the president of that local body did not limit himself to ignoring the request made to him”, but decided “not to schedule the Assembly for the reasons mentioned in the decision”.
"Disagreeing with the reason of the President of the Municipal Assembly, the applicants should have expressed their disagreement based on the decision taken, which did not happen".
PS/Portimão: AM's call for the Opposition was an attempt to «capitalize some popular dissatisfaction»
The PS from Portimonense adds, in the communiqué, that the socialist municipal deputies did not appear because "the deliberations that would result from it [the Assembly] could never produce any effects, due to their illegality" and guarantees that "it will always be available, in its own seat, to give its contribution to the improvement of the Municipal Civil Protection Regulation, in an effort that should be accompanied by the other political forces».
In the communiqué, the Socialists consider that yesterday's Assembly was only an "attempt", by the opposition, "to deceive the citizens", taking advantage of a "very sensitive topic" and trying to "capitalize on some popular dissatisfaction". .
What is certain is that, despite the lack of a quorum last Monday, the members of the opposition, although in a minority (13 elements linked to the PS and the PSD against 11 of «Servir Portimão», Bloco, CDU and a PSD), announce that «a new Extraordinary Session of the Municipal Assembly, with the same agenda, has been scheduled again, by the same applicants, for the next 28th of November (Friday), at 21 pm, in the same place».
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