Alleged irregularities in the scheduling and convening of the first meeting of the Municipal Council of Vila Real de Santo António (VRSA) are causing a heated exchange of accusations between the PS and the PSD in this city.
It all started this Friday, October 22, when the first meeting took place, scheduled by the new president of the municipality, the socialist Álvaro Araújo.
In a statement published yesterday on its Facebook page, and signed by the Political Commission of the PSD, which is chaired by Luís Gomes, one of the three councilors elected to the Chamber of VRSA, the social democrats accuse the socialist mayor of having made a “clean board of the letter of the law", by not complying with "any of the legal requirements", scheduling the meeting for the sixth day after taking office and not until five days. On the other hand, it will not have summoned "the councilors of the PSD under the legal terms".
Vilarreal social democrats also accuse the new mayor of "starting with illegalities", when, in his inaugural speech, he announced that he would "work with transparency and involving the political forces of the opposition".
In response, the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António do PS, presided over by Célia Paz, accuses the PSD councilors of “disrespectful attitude” in the municipality.
The Socialists recall that the first meeting of the Chamber of the new executive «took place yesterday morning in Paços do Concelho and was attended by the President of the Chamber, Álvaro Araújo; the councilors elected by the Socialist Party, Ricardo Cipriano and Conceição Pires; the councilor elected by the CDU, Álvaro Leal, and only one of the councilors elected by the PSD, José Carlos Barros, since the other two councilors did not appear».
In addition, they add, «José Carlos Barros asked to speak with a single objective: to launch the confusion, mounted in an untruth that we must immediately dismantle».
What is at stake is the interpretation of the law: the Social Democrats say, in their communiqué, that the law provides that the first meeting of the new Chamber must take place "within five days immediately after the constitution of the body, with the president responsible for scheduling the appointment. and summons, to be made by public notice and by letter with acknowledgment of receipt or by protocol».
Socialists, for their part, argue that this is a period of “five working days”. If so, bearing in mind that the swearing-in took place on October 16, the 22nd would be precisely the fifth working day.
As for the method of summons, the PS argues that they were «timely and carried out by email, in accordance with the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), which recognizes email as the preferred means of contact».
More: “By courtesy and professionalism of the executive led by Álvaro Araújo, telephone calls were made, 48 hours before the date of the meeting, to all councilors to confirm that the meeting was taking place. It is known that the three councilors of the PSD answered the calls and took the necessary knowledge, in person, of the holding of this meeting».
However, the social democrat Luís Gomes, quoted in his own communiqué, says that it was "a surprise not to have been summoned to the body's first meeting." But his biggest surprise, says the now opposition councilor, “is to see the lightness and ease with which the mayor runs over the law, its deadlines and does not admit his mistakes, nor does anything to correct them, thus trampling the Statute of the Law of Opposition”.
The socialists, responding to this point, regret that Luís Gomes “felt “surprised” by a summons that, in fact, he received in double dose: via email and a telephone call, which he answered and learned about”.
The PSD defends that the «illegalities of Álvaro Araújo do not stop there, because, in the first meeting of the Municipal Chamber organ, the president must discuss and approve the regulations that, during the term, will apply to the meetings of the organ». But “this was not one of the items on the agenda of the meeting, it was not even a subject discussed by Álvaro Araújo”.
The socialists respond that the PSD has only the "intention of throwing confusion where it never existed", by "questioning illegalities where there are none" and "criticizing the procedure and the agenda, which followed exactly the same procedures used by the previous executives , led by that party”, considering all this as “attempts to block the functioning of the City Council”.
“Unfortunately, the PSD, right at the first meeting, shows what is coming: it chooses to “manufacture” false issues instead of focusing on collaborating on solutions», accuses the PS.
It is because, defends the Council of Socialists, «when it comes to run over, was, in fact, what Mr. Alderman José Carlos Barros tried to do, uttering statements that in no way dignify his party, much less those who represent it».
The PS concludes its statement saying that "the meeting took place normally, after the abandonment of Mr. Councilor José Carlos Barros, who had nothing more to say, except a handful of nothing."
During this first meeting of the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, the assumption, by the communist Álvaro Leal, of a position of permanent councilor, with the portfolios, was confirmed. Sports, Youth, Environment and Administrative Modernization, among others, thus enabling the formerly minority executive, led by socialist Álvaro Araújo.
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