The varnish snapped once and for all among the Socialist Party in Vila do Bispo. In a statement released this morning, the socialists of that Costa Vicentina council announced that, "after numerous vain attempts at dialogue", they withdraw "political confidence in Adelino Soares", current mayor, elected by the PS and member of that party.
Nuno Amado, president of the PS Council and also of the Municipal Assembly of Vila do Bispo, explained in statements to Sul Informação, that this “withdrawal of political confidence” means, in practice, that “all the actions that Adelino Soares can take, all his decisions as president of the Chamber, are not binding on the PS”. In other words, he stressed, "the PS is no longer linked or has anything to do with the decisions of the president of the Chamber, which only commit him to him and whoever approves them in Organs proper bodies."
Nuno Amado: «all the actions that Adelino Soares may take, all his decisions as president of the Chamber, do not bind the PS»
This iron arm between Adelino Soares and the local socialist bodies has been going on for months, with accusations on both sides. Last January, after the Municipal Assembly, where the PS even has a majority, twice failed the 2015 Budget, Adelino Soares withdrew the political trust to socialist councilor Afonso Nascimento, which until then was its number 3 in the autarchy, and, with this decision, placed the socialist executive in a minority situation in the Chamber.
Contacted this morning by Sul Informação, Adelino Soares challenged the PS Council to file a disciplinary process with him. "But they don't have the courage for that," he added.
The council's president responds saying that “a disciplinary process would only be brought if this were a strict party issue, in which Adelino Soares had violated the Socialist Party's Statutes. Well, that's not what this is about. What he has repeatedly done is to violate the pre-electoral political agreements that he made," which, in his opinion, is not subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Nuno Amado stresses that the bad feeling between the PS and Adelino Soares already comes from the previous municipal mandate, the first of Adelino at the head of the Vila do Bispo Council. In such a way that “he was not supposed to be the candidate in the 2013 elections, because there were many militants and supporters who did not want him, due to his arrogant attitudes”.
But, after several meetings and contacts, with local, regional and even national organs of the party, «there was an understanding» and Adelino Soares was once again the chosen head of the list. In local elections, the PS won and even reinforced its votes, guaranteeing a majority in the executive and in the Municipal Assembly, and even gaining another parish.
Nuno Amado accuses the mayor of a “prepotent attitude, in his way of being, of being and of doing”. The statement from the Vilabispense PS goes further in the accusations: Adelino Soares "decided to choose a haughty, deaf, irresponsible conduct of governance, guided by personal criteria" and "has taken, in a strictly personal, stubborn and erratic manner, some positions that do not dignify at all politics, the party and the people of the Municipality of Vila do Bispo».
PS/Vila do Bispo: Adelino Soares “decided to choose a haughty, deaf, irresponsible governance conduct, guided by personal criteria”
In his communiqué – dated April 19, as it was the date of the Council meeting in which it was decided “unanimously” to withdraw political confidence in Adelino Soares -, the PS of Vila do Bispo states that “it cannot be complacent with approvals systematics without available funds, which violate the Law of Commitments; with unacceptable spending on parties or unreasonable playful-sports events that do not bring benefits to the municipality's population; with financial support and following the best practices to all kinds of activities, all done without rules, without control and without updated regulations and which are in line with the very delicate financial situation of the Municipality».
As examples of this alleged "spending", the president of the Socialist Council recalls, in statements to our newspaper, the "30 thousand euros given to the Volta ao Algarve by Bike, the 25 thousand for the Vila do Bispo Rally, when, in both In these cases, neither riders, nor cyclists, nor teams leave money here because they are even going to sleep in Lagos, or the 17 thousand euros given to a tour of friends from Odemira to Sagres».
As a result of this climate of confrontation, Vila do Bispo is the only Algarve municipality – and one of the few in the country – still without an approved Municipal Budget for the current year of 2015.
The first two versions were rejected last year, when the Municipal Assembly, unanimously and even with the votes of the PS, rejected the proposals presented by the mayor. At issue was the funding of the Vila do Bispo Firefighters, whose funds were considered insufficient.
Finally, on March 19, the presidents of the City Council and the Association of Voluntary Firefighters signed a protocol that allocates €308 to the corporation. The dispute that led AM to fail the Budget twice seemed to be resolved, so that President Adelino Soares could have resubmitted a new Budget for approval by the Municipal Assembly. Only, so far, it hasn't.
Why? This was one of the issues that the Sul Informação he put it in writing this morning to mayor Adelino Soares, but to which he has not yet received a reply.
Nuno Amado accuses the mayor of not having wanted to «resolve a crucial issue for a small land like Vila do Bispo, which is to have Firefighters working and operational». It was in this sense, defends the president of AM and of the Socialist Council, that «the Assembly made proposals of recommendation to the mayor», asking for «the renegotiation of the protocol» between Firefighters and the local authority.
However, in March, even "because the PS itself intervened at a higher level", the new protocol was finally signed, guaranteeing the funding that all the political forces in Vila do Bispo, including the socialists themselves, think is necessary. “We told the president of the Chamber: present a new Budget that the Assembly approves. But so far he has not done it”, despite the fact that, in the opinion of Nuno Amado, “at the moment there is no impediment to the budget being approved”.
Concerned about the situation is António Eusébio, president of PS/Algarve, who, despite saying that it is "a local issue" and a "local decision", admits that he has "followed the issue with the utmost care" and guarantees that it will 'continue to monitor'.
The leader of the Algarve socialists told the Sul Informação that there have already been several meetings between the parties to try to reach a consensus, but "unfortunately it was not achieved, because the issues are very extreme between the parties".
António Eusébio: «unfortunately it was not possible [to reach consensus], because the issues are very extreme between the parties»
As for the withdrawal of political confidence, António Eusébio explains that, at the internal level of the party, such a decision by the Council will have no consequences. "It just means that Adelino Soares no longer trusts his co-religionists."
Despite everything, the president of the PS/Algarve seems not to have completely lost confidence, stating that "this does not mean that the situation will not change in the future". "Let's hope that things are resolved in the future and be clarified locally," he stressed.
With his long experience as a mayor, António Eusébio admits that «there is a withdrawal of confidence here and the executive is in the minority, naturally the task of managing the municipality is now more difficult». Therefore, he hopes that "they work in the best way to harm the people of the municipality as little as possible".
Comments