"It is not because our party is in power and in the Chamber that we cannot say that Saúde is bad, in Portimão, or that we will not debate tourism, urban rehabilitation or mobility." The words are from Álvaro Bila, 46, businessman and current president of the Parish Council of Portimão, who, last Saturday, was elected as leader of the Municipal Section of the PS in this city.
Álvaro Bila, who is also president of the Portimão Firefighters Association and, since last week, a member of the Executive Council of the Portuguese Firefighters League, said in an interview with Sul Informação, that the intention of the new Socialist Council is “to give contributions to the autarchy, as to what we should improve. The Chamber must also want the contribution of those who are in the parties».
“The negativist politics of the bota-down destroys the image of our municipality. What I want is for us to be proud of the history of Portimão and proud of the future of Portimão».
At this level, Álvaro Bila speaks of an initiative that the Parish Council which he also presides over supported, the exhibition «Manuel Teixeira Gomes Square – Walking Through History», promoted by the Group of Friends of the Portimão Museum.
Last year, the first street exhibition took place in the square in front of Casa Inglesa, by the river. This year there will be a new exhibition but in Alameda, in front of the Parish Council headquarters.
"It will be a way to reaffirm our pride in Portimão, but also to bring more people to the city center, which is better, with more stores reopening, albeit with different businesses."
For this, the new PS Council intends to «debate with groups of citizens issues that are important for the council». But it also intends to dynamize "the registration of new militants", "stimulate the relationship and dialogue with the JS", as well as paying attention to "the problems and needs of local economic agents".
But Álvaro Bila does not forget that he was elected president of the municipality. Therefore, in addition to Portimão, his attention as the leader of the Portimão socialists will also turn to Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande. «In the party, I want to push for all the parishes, which must make their contributions and be duly heard».
Bila, who claims to be “barista” and with “great liking for my land”, points out that, despite the crisis that the county went through and which here was more acute than in the rest of the Algarve, after the near bankruptcy of the City Council, “Portimão increased in number of voters». In the last Local Elections, he stressed, there were "two thousand more voters, which means that there are more people coming to live here."
All the more reason for the new president of the Municipality of PS Portimão to affirm that he is willing to «implement a culture of debate and contribution to improve Portimão in the party».
There are new faces (and not only) in the 12 municipalities that were voted in the Algarve
It was not only in Portimão that, on Friday and Saturday, there were elections for the municipality. They were also held in eleven other municipalities in the Algarve, namely in Olhão, Vila Real de Santo António, Castro Marim, Albufeira or Faro.
Em Olhão, ran a single list, led by António Miguel Pina, which collected 72 votes from the 77 militants who participated in the elections.
«The election of Pina as council leader marks the strengthening of the Socialist Party in Olhão, after the undisputed victory in the Municipal Elections last October, when he won an absolute majority in the City Council, obtaining five councilors, leaving the opposition with only two terms – in addition to the absolute majority in the Municipal Assembly and electing three presidents of the four existing Parish Councils», stressed the socialists from Olhano, in a statement.
For the new elected president of the PS of Olhão, who is also the president of the Chamber, «the time has come to return to the right path, after a troubled period in which the party ruled in a minority, having also suffered from internal issues in sectors that ended up for placing certain personal ambitions above the banners of the party».
António Pina here alludes to the objection brought to him by the former president of the Municipality, Luciano Jesus, who, in disagreement with the PS, ended up resigning from the party and running for the Chamber of Olhão in a coalition supported by the PSD and the CDS , among other forces.
«I applied to be president of the Political Committee of the PS Olhão Council to return to our section the openness, dialogue and transparency that it already had in the past, and also with the purpose of forgetting once and for all the painful period in which irresponsibility and ambition the excessiveness of some has distorted the principles and values that have always guided us”, said António Miguel Pina.
Em Vila Real de Santo António, municipality where the PS was defeated in the recent Autárquicas, the new president of the Municipality is Célia Paz.
The only list that presented itself to the polls obtained 97% of the votes cast, which, according to a note from the socialists, "reflects a great expression of unity and confidence in the project presented."
"I welcome the fact that it was a very participated election, I am grateful for the demonstration of unity and availability of the militants to integrate this project, giving my word that I will do everything to honor the trust placed in this candidacy," said Célia Paz, after her election.
Also in Castro Marim there was only one list, led by Luís Guilhermino, 47, a businessman, running for the presidency of the Political Committee of the Socialist Party.
84% of militants with active electoral capacity voted, that is, with paid quotas, with the single list having obtained the full number of votes cast.
In Castro Marim, in the recent Local Elections, the PS, headed by Célia Brito, and taking advantage of the internal divergences of the PSD created by the autonomous candidacy of former president José Estevens, was just a few dozen votes away from winning the Chamber Municipal.
Em Albufeira, there was also a change and the new leader of the Municipality is a woman: Maria Emília Bexiga. In the tourist capital of the Algarve, 66% of the registered militants exercised their right to vote, with the single list headed by Maria Emília Bexiga reaching 93,2% of the votes cast.
The new leader of the Albufeires Socialists says she intends to "renew the political and organizational structure of the PS Albufeira, without breaking with the past, involving all militants and supporters in the political activities to be developed".
The political project of PS Albufeira has, therefore, as its objective, «the involvement and the constructive debate with the population in the vicinity», also involving «the support of the Socialist Youth council», calling young people from Albufeira to «participation».
Finally, in the Municipality of Faro continuity was verified, with the re-election of Luís Graça, socialist deputy in the Assembly of the Republic and also president of the Municipal Assembly.
Luís Graça was re-elected for his third and last term at the head of the PS Faro in Friday's elections and in which 68% of activists with active electoral capacity voted.
The only list that presented itself to the polls obtained 92,5% of the votes cast, which, according to the Farense socialists, “reflects a great manifestation of unity among the Farense socialists and confidence in the project and political direction of the PS Faro».
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