Catarina Marques, 46 years old, is a Special Education teacher and coordinator of the União de Sindicatos do Algarve.
She was also a member of the board of the Montenegro Sports Club and president of the Association of Parents and Guardians of the Montenegro School Group. She was elected municipal deputy in Faro and is a member of the Board of the Algarve Regional Organization of the PCP.
He is once again the head of the list of the Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) in the Legislative Elections, for the Algarve circle.
Now that the election campaign is underway, the Sul Informação is publishing interviews with the list leaders of the 14 parties or coalitions that are running for the Legislatures on March 10th.
The same questions were sent, in a timely manner, to all 14 first candidates, covering the main themes in focus in the Algarve.
The interviews will be published as responses reach our newsroom.
Sul Informação – What are the priorities of your political force in the next legislature for the Algarve?
Catarina Marques – Most of the problems we experience in the Algarve are transversal to the country. There are, obviously, particularities that demonstrate the added value of our proposals and their particular preponderance in our region.
This is clearly what happens in relation to salaries, since, in the Algarve, as a result of the economy's concentration in Tourism and Commerce, the average salary paid in the region is below the national average.
For this reason, increasing wages and valuing workers, namely through increasing the National Minimum Wage to 1000 euros, as early as May, is one of the measures that we consider a priority.
Although public services in general deserve our concern, the National Health Service and its defense are also a priority. It is necessary to defend and invest in the SNS, combating the attack from private individuals, recovering services and valuing its professionals. In the region, investment in primary healthcare and the construction of the new Algarve Central Hospital is particularly urgent.
Another example of what I initially mentioned, the CDU also sees Housing as a pressing concern. Despite being a problem felt throughout the country, the Algarve feels it in a particular way, constituting a problem that is only now beginning to be recognized by those who, over the last few decades, have had government responsibilities.
Responding to those who currently find themselves deprived of access to decent housing is also a priority for the CDU.
Finally, there is no escaping the issue of drought, probably the issue that distinguishes the region. PS and PSD now want to make the population pay for what was lacking in investment over decades. This is not the path the CDU proposes to follow.
SI – What led you to accept being head of the list again due to the political force you represent?
CM – It was with a great sense of honor and responsibility that I accepted the invitation made by my party, the PCP. Understanding this as part of a broader task of action and intervention to improve the lives of people, the region and our country, in which an electoral act and institutional representation (in this case for the Assembly of the Republic) are integrated.
With the trust and work of an entire collective, of which I am also part, and recognizing the capabilities to help and support throughout the process, whoever runs for and holds political positions for the PCP or the CDU, it is natural that I am here , ready to assume the responsibilities that those who will vote for us attribute to us.
SI – What are the expectations and objectives of your political force in relation to these Legislative Elections?
CM – The CDU presents itself in these elections with the objective of increasing the number of votes and the number of elected officials, thus being in a better position to promote the policies that are necessary for workers and the populations of the country and the region.
In the Algarve, specifically, the objective is to elect a CDU deputy, returning to the Assembly of the Republic a voice that has been sorely lacking there in defending the interests of the region.
The people of the Algarve certainly remember the period in which Parliament had this voice from the CDU, elected in the Algarve, and what this represented in taking positions, discussing specific problems and in the proposals made with a view to improving conditions of life and work in the region.
Let it be said, by the way, that even without an elected deputy, we never stopped having this intervention, but guaranteeing the election, we would be in a much better position to do so.
SI – What remains to be done in the Algarve?
CM – There’s still a lot left. For the CDU, the work of identifying these problems, what needs to be done in the region, is constant, because they are also our problems. If you look at the CDU list, you will find men and women from different municipalities, with different professional activities, but all deeply integrated into the reality of the region.
Also due to the significant presence we have in different local authorities. All of this obviously gives us a huge advantage at this time when we propose to get in touch with the populations and workers, because we know the reality. We all experience difficulties in accessing housing, the lack of public transport, precarious work or low wages, for example.
It is from this knowledge that we can say what is missing in the Algarve. And if I had to, briefly, identify what is lacking in the region, I would point to the diversification of our economy, investing in the regional productive apparatus, the appreciation of wages and pensions, investment in public services, namely health and education, lack of housing , there is a lack of public transport, there is a lack of measures to respond, among others, to the problem of drought.
SI – Drought and lack of water is a pressing issue in the Algarve. What solutions do you advocate, in the short term, knowing that the water currently available only arrives until August? And in the medium and long term?
CM – It is true that political decision-makers cannot make it rain. But they could, and should, have taken measures to avoid the situation we are experiencing now. However, despite this problem being identified several years ago, what we saw was the inaction of successive PS and PSD/CDS governments.
Therefore, it is now urgent to take measures with an impact on the future in the face of drought and lack of water in the Algarve. Immediately, control and reduction of water losses by Local Authorities and water saving are necessary, differentiating intensive crops from family farming, or tourist enterprises, with intensive uses of water, from domestic consumers.
It is necessary to safeguard animal supply, public health, small and medium-sized agriculture adapted to the conditions of the Algarve, small and medium-sized industry and the balance of ecosystems.
If the region has excellent conditions for tourism, another more diversified and articulated economic model is needed, equipped with essential infrastructure for its development, which focuses on the rural world, the population of the interior and the improvement of public services, considering the crucial issues of water, starting with its necessary public management.
SI – Health is a very deficient sector in the Algarve and in the country. What measures do you recommend to solve health problems in the Algarve?
CM – The National Health Service (SNS) is an April achievement that needs to be preserved. We therefore affirm that the serious situation felt in the SNS requires immediate responses.
The looting that is being carried out in large hundreds of professionals by private groups is being reflected in the increase of users without a family doctor, in the delay in consultations, exams, treatments and surgeries, which calls into question the right to health of the Algarve. At the same time, we are witnessing the opening of private hospitals and clinics, financed by public resources, but mainly focused on the disease business.
To improve the situation of the SNS, it is first necessary to improve the situation of those who work in the SNS. And this is done by valuing salaries and careers, but also providing them with material conditions, with regard to facilities, equipment, among others.
We do not ignore, in the region, the importance of defending the maintenance of the management of the Center for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the South in the public sphere, also strengthening the means so that it can fulfill its mission;
It is also necessary to increase the inpatient capacity in the Algarve of the national integrated continued care network, as well as improve the responsiveness of palliative care in the region.
These are just a few examples of a set of proposals we have in terms of health.
SI – What about the Algarve Central Hospital? What should be done?
CM – The Algarve Central Hospital has been a project continually postponed for more than 20 years. Despite the importance of this structuring project for the entire region having been assumed even by successive governments, incomprehensibly the work has not yet progressed.
On the contrary, we have seen constant postponements, which has led to several interventions by the PCP and CDU elected officials, who have followed with great concern the absence or insufficiency of responses in the provision of healthcare in the Algarve region. And that is why we have always been intervening in the search for solutions.
Recently, we proposed, within the scope of the State Budget, the transfer of funds to review the functional program and prepare architectural and specialty execution projects for the construction of the New Algarve Central Hospital. Such a proposal would be rejected.
And not even the PPR, which served as propaganda for the Government, foresaw the construction of the new Algarve Central Hospital.
For our part, we defend the right to health, guaranteed by a universal National Health Service, in which care is provided with quality and effectiveness. And the construction and management of the Hospital Central do Algarve, in an entirely public model and provided with the necessary professionals, incorporates this understanding.
SI – The Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve and the Regional Health Administration joined, from January 1st, into a single body, the Algarve Local Health Unit. What do you think of this change and what expectations do you have for your future?
CM – When there is a lack of investment and valorization policies in sectors as important as health, it is sometimes decided to change the packaging, in the hope that no one will notice that nothing is being done about the filling. Worse than that, the changes sometimes even hide the degradation of said filling. It appears to be the case.
For the CDU, it was necessary to reverse the current and hasty process of concentration of health services in ULS – Local Health Units and the extinction of ARS, seeking first, and immediately, to guarantee the operability and competence of existing management structures and the autonomy of Hospitals, Hospital Centers and Groups of Health Centers, particularly for hiring professionals.
It was also necessary to create Local Health Systems, as an internal coordination structure between hospitals, health centers and continued and palliative care, with effective competencies in the articulation of care, giving implementation to the Basic Health Law.
SI – The previous Government, now only in management, transformed the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions into Public Institutes, adding new functions (such as Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as Culture). What do you think of this change and what expectations do you have for your future? Is this a first step towards Regionalization?
CM – Before it was! But it seems to us that we are facing another step towards the de-accountability of the Central Administration and not towards regionalization.
In all the examples mentioned, what is needed is more proximity and resources and not more distance from support services, whether for farmers, fishermen or cultural agents. It was a side step, which further postpones Regionalization, and not forward, as was necessary.
SI – Are you for or against Regionalization? Why?
CM – The CDU has been one of the most active voices in defense of the implementation of the constitutional imperative that is Regionalization. Successive Governments have been very imaginative in creating mechanisms that always claim to be an antechamber to regionalization, but without ever taking that step, which is really necessary.
However, what we have actually witnessed is a lack of responsibility on the part of the Central Power in relation to its obligations, as happened with the transfer of responsibilities to local authorities.
While CDU elected officials in the local authorities always warned about the problems that this measure created, many Chambers uncritically accepted the alleged powers, only to now admit that they lack a budget. Ultimately, it will be the populations that will be harmed.
At CDU, we believe that the creation of Administrative Regions as intermediate entities, located between the Central Power and the municipalities, elected by the populations and intended to complement municipal action, will be a factor of democratization and development, which would obviously also be advantageous for our region.
SI – Will the integration of the former Regional Directorates of Culture and Agriculture and Fisheries into the CCDR have beneficial effects for these sectors or not?
CM – We do not see any advantages in this integration. In the case of culture, for example, and because it has been a topic far removed from the electoral debate, the extinction of DRCAlg and consequent integration into the Public Institute put into question the management of cultural assets, as public assets, starting to be treated as objects of commodification, dependent on regional and local financial capabilities and more vulnerable to the interests of speculation.
SI – What solutions do you recommend for tolls on Via do Infante?
CM – The same ones that we have been defending since the moment they were announced: their abolition! We have no doubt that more than a decade of charging tolls has been a factor in delaying the development of the Algarve, causing companies in the region to lose competitiveness and impoverishing populations.
Unlike other party forces, the CDU has always defended the abolition of tolls, having been on the side of the populations' struggles in this regard. A fight that, in fact, was essential for the reductions that have taken place, although they have not yet definitively resolved the problem.
And there is no shortage of opportunities, particularly due to the numerous proposals, particularly from the PCP, towards the immediate abolition of tolls. However, PS, PPD/PSD and CDS-PP always opposed its elimination.
It is with admiration and some concern that we see, now, in the middle of the election campaign, some parties talking about ending tolls. For the PS, it took many years with the knife and cheese in hand for them to come and say, weeks before the elections, “now it’s going to be”. And for other political forces, they are also misleading promises, as their commitment to the profits of private road PPP concessionaires will speak louder when voting on any measure that jeopardizes these interests.
SI – And for the completion of works on the EN125, from Olhão to Vila Real de Santo António?
CM - Here it is. This is another very clear example of how valid our criticisms of PPP are. What is certain is that, for more than a decade, under the responsibility of the PS and PSD/CDS governments, work on the EN 125 continues to be completed on a significant part of its route between Olhão and VRSA.
And this is due to the existing legal imbroglio, with the concessionaire demanding from IP the payment of an additional 455 million euros (a matter that is being evaluated by the Constitutional Court), which can only hold responsible those who, instead of defending the interests nationals, voluntarily submit to the interests of private economic groups.
Those who have no responsibility in this matter are the populations of the Algarve who, particularly in the Eastern Algarve, are desperate for the requalification works to be carried out, which, for now, have neither a start date nor a defined timetable.
For our part, we consider it essential that the EN 125 public-private partnership contracts be transferred to the State, as well as the rapid completion of all works initially planned for EN 125, including the variants and access/connection roads.
We have not forgotten the requalification of EN 124, on the Porto de Lagos-Silves section, which has been missing for years and years too.
SI – One of the biggest problems in the Algarve is mobility. Work is being carried out to electrify the Algarve Line, the creation of the Metrobus is expected and there is talk of a possible TGV connection between Faro and Huelva/Seville. What is your opinion on these issues and what solutions do you advocate?
CM – In the Algarve, the harmful consequences of the reduction in public investment in transport and population mobility are clearly visible. We have heard about many projects, but others from decades ago remain unrealized.
And among the many problems experienced, we highlight the absence of a regional transport system that articulates the different modalities and existing infrastructures.
Some of the advances achieved, such as the reduction in the price of social passes – the result of decades of intervention by the CDU – were an important step towards affirming the right to mobility, the central role of public transport and the improvement of the environment.
However, this measure made even more visible the need to expand the supply of trains and buses and decisively assume the replacement of individual transport (on which a large part of the Algarve is dependent) with collective public transport, with the aim of making it free of charge.
We therefore defend the need to create a Regional Public Road Operator, guaranteeing and increasing the quality and quantity of service provided to the population, ensuring complementarity between all modes of transport and a single ticketing system, aiming to end dependence groups and private operators in the region.
In fact, mobility problems are something that must be overcome, to improve accessibility and mobility of populations, to boost economic activity, but also to protect the environment.
SI – The president of the Algarve Tourism Region complained that the budget of this organization is short and has not been increased for many years. What do you recommend for this sector in the Algarve region?
CM – We have no doubt that our region has excellent conditions that make it a privileged stage for Tourism.
However, in our view, this almost exclusive model of economic development based on tourism and complementary activities, with disregard for productive activities, is wrong, weakening the regional economy and making it vulnerable to external shocks, as was clearly seen in 2020.
Furthermore, because low wages, precarious labor relations and worsening exploitation persist in the region, amplified by the seasonal nature of employment linked directly or indirectly to tourism.
For this reason, we believe that it is necessary to continue to invest in promoting the sustainability of regional tourism, through the diversification of markets and supply, along with the need to value workers in the sector, combat the policy of low wages, precarious employment , the deregulation of working hours and the abusive use of professional internships. There is also a need for greater support for the training of professionals and greater dynamization of hotel and tourism schools.
SI – In the current Government, does Tourism share a State secretariat with Commerce and Services? Do you think it is enough? Or should a future Government give more importance to Tourism? In what way?
CM – I think that Tourism occupies an important and prominent place in our economy, both regionally and nationally. It will not be because you have your own Ministry or Secretariat of State that you lose this prominence.
What really matters, especially for the Algarve, and is truly urgent, is a new economic policy that focuses on the diversification of regional economic activity and the recovery of the productive apparatus, with the valorization of work and workers.
This, yes, is what should be on the table for us in a future government that cares about the Algarve and the people of the Algarve and is committed to the economic and social development of the region.
SI – In the case of more divisive issues, will you vote for the AR according to your conviction, even if it goes against your party's guidelines?
CM – The way we view, in the PCP and the CDU, being in politics and taking on public office means that this issue does not arise. This is because we do not align ourselves with a “fulanization” of politics and we are not unaware that we are elected based on a political program that is public and is the result of immense collective work and that represents a commitment to the populations that we transport to the Assembly of the Republic.
In fact, I think voters wouldn't even understand if it were any other way. What is serious, in my opinion, is seeing those who promise here the opposite of what they do when they arrive in Lisbon or who, and look, regarding tolls for example, even vote against them in the Algarve, but have no problem defending them in other ex-scut.
Furthermore, as I mentioned, the decision to vote is the result of a work of reflection that involves the entire party collective and which, therefore, will always deserve my respect.
SI – Do you consider that it would be useful to change the electoral law, to create single-member and partial constituencies and a national compensation circle, and thus bring deputies closer to citizens? Why or why not?
CM – We are not indifferent to the need to bring deputies closer to citizens. But we believe that this purpose is not necessarily fulfilled through the aforementioned means. For our part, we consider that true proximity occurs with the presence of deputies in the regions where they are elected, in their contact with workers and populations, with the associative movement and user committees, for example.
Furthermore, accountability is also something we value, where this proximity is also achieved. For our part, this is what we do, as it allows us to break the silence that, unfortunately, we have witnessed regarding our intervention and proposals.
In any case, in relation to single-member constituencies we are against it, as we consider that there is a strong possibility that they could affect electoral behavior and artificially alter the number of votes for each party that will be converted into mandates. In our understanding, what would be necessary is to reinforce the proportionality of the electoral system.
And so we are not against the compensatory circle, however, it is important that its creation is not done at the expense of further reducing the territorial balance (already reduced) and creating an inevitable bipolarization in many circles.
SI – Do you want to add any more topics or questions?
CM – I would just like to thank you for the opportunity, as these initiatives dedicated to candidates in this constituency also allow us to remember that what is at stake is not the election of a prime minister, but of 230 deputies, 9 of which are here from the Algarve.
And in this two-year period, the CDU did not have any deputy elected from the Algarve. A reality that penalized the region, but did not prevent the PCP Parliamentary Group from having an intense intervention around specific problems that affect workers and populations in the Algarve. This was an intervention that, even without a directly elected deputy, had no parallel in other political forces!
Meetings, visits and meetings were held in the Algarve with the most diverse entities; questions and requests were addressed to the Government, draft resolutions and laws were proposed, interventions were made, both in the plenary and in parliamentary committees, in defense of the interests of the populations and the Algarve region. As an example, there are the three dozen proposals relating to the region, under discussion in the 2024 State Budget, with the exception that they were, in their entirety, rejected by the PS.
The CDU was a force present on the ground, not only supportive of the many struggles that were being waged, but also a driver of workers' demands for a better life.
I cannot, therefore, fail to highlight the importance of, in the elections on the 10th of March, the CDU increasing the vote and ensuring the election of a deputy for the Algarve to the Assembly of the Republic.
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