Álvaro Araújo announced this Saturday, 16 October, at the inauguration as the new mayor of Vila Real de Santo António, that he will carry out an "exempt and rigorous" audit of the municipality's accounts. This is one of the priorities for the first 100 days of a term in which the PS mayor does not have a majority and where everything will be “negotiated case by case”.
The victory of the socialists in VRSA, at the Autárquicas last September, was one of the highlights of the electoral night in the Algarve.
The PS managed to win the Chamber from the PSD, which had governed it since 2005, and hundreds of people traveled to the António Aleixo Cultural Center, in Vila Real de Santo António, to witness the swearing-in of the new municipal bodies.
The moment of the afternoon – which deserved the most applause – was when Álvaro Araújo, the new president, announced, in his speech, that he will audit the accounts of the municipality that had to resort, just a few years ago, to the Municipal Support Fund. to the weak financial situation.
This will be an "exempt, impartial and rigorous" process, assured the mayor who, in statements to journalists at the end of the session, did not want to "make speculations" about the results of that audit.
«We don't expect anything in advance. Let's do it and let people know what happened, without jumping to conclusions," he explained.
What is certain is that, for Álvaro Araújo, the Chamber of VRSA will begin, «from now on, with a more rigorous management». For example, "there will be no cars going to the homes of employees and managers," he stated.
The president also announced that he will try to renegotiate contracts "that have harmed residents", such as those related to "garbage collection or paid parking".
Another of the mayor's priorities is “an internal restructuring of the municipality's own structure that is not in line with current demands”.
To this must be added interventions "in the public space of the municipality, which is quite degraded", added Álvaro Araújo.
For this term, the PS, despite having won the elections, did not win an absolute majority. Socialists have three councilors, the same as the PSD.
The CDU, which has twice led the Vila Real de Santo António City Council, also elected a councilor and, right after the elections, it was Álvaro Araújo who guaranteed that he wanted to "build bridges" with the CDU.
Speaking to journalists, after taking office, the mayor revealed that there is "no formal agreement" with any political force: everything "will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis."
“What we are going to do is try to find points of convergence that exist, for example, with the CDU. If we diverge, we will try to find meeting points», he explained.
Voting for the table of the Municipal Assembly was the first test of this convergence. The PS has a total of 10 seats, the PSD 8 and the CDU three. The Independent Candidature Building the Future (CIF) got two deputies and Chegar one.
Only the PS presented a list for the table, headed by Célia Paz, with Mariano Cândido (1st secretary) and Lourdino Marques (2nd secretary). The vote was expressive: 15 votes in favor and 9 blank.
The Socialist Party thus manages to hold the presidency of both the Chamber and the Municipal Assembly.
For Álvaro Araújo, leader of the municipal executive, during these four years, «no one will be left behind».
«I will be the president of all, present at all hours. It is necessary to recover the dignity of Vila Real de Santo António. We intend to do a lot with little money», he concluded.
Inauguration of Municipal Bodies of Vila Real de Santo António
Luís Gomes (PSD), councilor
Ricardo Cipriano (PS), councilor
José Carlos Barros (PSD), councilor
Maria da Conceição Pires (PS), councilor
Álvaro Leal (CDU), councilor
Maria Fátima Valentim (PSD), councilor
Célia Paz (PS), elected president
Carlos Launches (PSD)
Manuel Heights (PS)
Maria Pires (PSD)
Fernanda Santos (CDU)
Joao Reis (PS)
Eduardo Pereira (PSD)
Noble Golden (PS)
Alberto Ferreirinho (CICF)
José Botequila (PSD)
Lourdino Marques (PS), elected 2nd secretary
Anabela Silva (PSD)
José Estevão Cruz (CDU)
Rafael Teixeira (PS)
Carlos Viegas (PSD)
Sonia Jeronimo (PS)
Smith Ferreira (Enough)
David Silva (PSD)
Mariano Cândido (PS), elected 1st secretary
Alexandre Sequeira (CICF)
Vasco Vasques (CDU)
(also with seat, inherently, in AM)
Valentim Santos (PS), Parish of Vila Real de Santo António
Ricardo Reis (PSD), Parish of Monte Gordo
Luís Rodrigues (PS), Parish of Vila Nova de Cacela
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