The PSD has 14 deputies in the Municipal Assembly of Faro, but his candidate for president of this body only got 13 votes. On the other hand, the PS, which has two fewer members than the Social Democrats, got 14 votes and that is why the socialist Luís Graça will preside over AM Farense for the next four years.
The 31 municipal deputies of Faro elected the president of the Municipal Assembly in a secret ballot that took place today, October 11th, during the inauguration ceremony of those elected to the Faro local authorities.
But, against all expectations, the Social Democrats did not get even a number of votes in line with that of municipal deputies. If they had succeeded, this would have required, at least, the repetition of the vote, which would give them chances to elect their candidate, Cristóvão Norte, who headed the PSD list to the AM of Faro, the one that got the most votes.
A ridiculous situation, which even seemed to frighten Luís Graça himself, number two on the PS list (the number one was José Apolinário, outgoing president of AM) to this municipal body of Faro. Cristóvão Norte was more surprised, who, as soon as the session was over, left the room, without waiting for the usual final greetings.
More than the outcome, it was this lack of a vote that ought to be right that most baffled the Social Democrats. It's just that neither hypothesis is encouraging. The most innocuous – but perhaps the most frustrating, if it happened – is that one of the PSD's municipal deputies made a mistake when voting and placed the letter B (to elect Luís Graça) instead of the A (Cristovão Norte list) .
Another possibility is that one of the elements elected by the PSD has voted blankly or even on the list presented by the socialists, on purpose. A more serious case, to have happened, taking into account that the list headed by Cristóvão Norte was subscribed by all the Social Democrats who had just been sworn in as municipal deputies.
What is certain is that Luís Graça, deputy to the Assembly of the Republic elected by the Algarve, and who, in the previous term, was councilor of the opposition in the Chamber of Faro, is the new president of the Municipal Assembly.
In his speech, the socialist promised "loyalty to the elected representatives of all parties and to the municipal executive", but also that he will be "diligent and demanding in the monitoring and supervision" of President Rogério Bacalhau's (PSD) team, which is now has a majority in the Chamber.
As for the way in which he was elected, he considered that "democracy was working", recalling that this situation is not unprecedented.
The Social Democrats, for their part, reacted with an explanation of vote "on behalf of all PSD deputies", in which they accused the PS of "trying to defraud our democracy", by putting forward a list "headed by the second element of the list” that was voted in the elections.
The PSD added that it "condemns the conduct" of socialists – and, who knows, someone closer…
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