Cristóvão Norte, re-candidate for the leadership of the PSD District Political Commission and head of the only voting list, promises to be "demanding with the Government" led by social democrat Luís Montenegro and that he will not change his speech in defense of the region, just because the his party is now in power at the central level.
The guarantee that he will defend the region, which had already been given on Monday in the official presentation of his re-candidacy, was reiterated by Cristóvão Norte in statements to the Sul Informação, after learning that he would be the only candidate in the internal elections on the 20th.
«It is important to say that the people of the Algarve, at this moment, do not believe anything that politicians say and this largely explains the results of the last Legislative Elections in the region», began by highlighting the current and future president of the PSD/Algarve.
Thinking «of the Algarve people who think the region is mistreated», Cristóvão Norte promises «to lead a district whose motto is to be demanding towards the Government, especially because I trust that the Government has the capacity and desire to solve the Algarve's problems»
«We had long since given up hope of having a new hospital, we saw the efforts to requalify the EN125 fall apart, the delay in electrification works on the railway and the absence of a policy to interconnect the different means of transport and a true mobility policy in the region", because the previous PS Government, he accused, "never chose the Algarve as a priority".
Despite being «very sure that the Government's vision for the region fits with the ideas and what has been defended by the PSD Algarve», Cristóvão Norte is committed to defending the region, both as leader of the district, as well as being a deputy to the Assembly of the Republic.
«There is no Cristóvão Norte president of the District and another Cristóvão deputy. I have, for better or for worse, the history of being the PSD deputy who most often voted out of line with the majority of the bench", he recalls.
Already anticipating the challenges he will face in the next term, the leader of the Algarve social democrats chooses the 2025 Municipal Council as the biggest.
«We want to break through the socialist wall, here in the Algarve. We believe that we can present a set of candidates and political proposals that are strong and capable of convincing the populations of the different municipalities», he believes.
The current and future leader of the PSD Algarve considers that the conquest of more Municipal Chambers by the PSD will be beneficial for the region, since, «especially in the last ten years, the hegemony of the PS in the municipalities and public entities of the region has increased», a situation that he believes is “harmful to the Algarve”.
This is because, he claims, in recent years «the PS gave up having a list of demands» in favor of the region and «subjugated itself to the dictates of the Government and the Central Power».
And as for alliances and coalitions, particularly with parties more to the right of the PSD, how far is Cristóvão Norte willing to go?
«My vision, when it comes to alliances and coalitions, is the same as that adopted by the party in the Legislatures. Luís Montenegro understood that there would be no room for alliances with Chega, as these were irreconcilable principles, values and political projects. I completely agree with the alliance policy outlined for the last elections».
«Now, no one can know what it will be like in two years. It will be up to the National Political Commission to define the alliance policy”, he also says.
Regarding the departure of activists to other parties, as happened with Rui Cristina, who was a PSD deputy in the last legislature and, in 2024, ran and was elected by Chega, Cristóvão Norte does not consider that it requires the adoption of measures, since this – like the cases that occurred at national level involving other social-democratic activists – were «specific situations, motivated by personal political projects, which have nothing to do with the conviction of what would be best for the Algarve».
The presentation of Cristóvão Norte's re-candidacy for president of the PSD/Algarve was made at the Algarve Stadium, in front of around a hundred and a half activists, but without the presence of national party figures.
At regional level and the former presidents of the Algarve District Commission, only Mendes Bota was present, who is the candidate for president of the District Assembly, who said he accepted the invitation to be a candidate for the position because he wanted to «help the PSD and Luís Montenegro to continue to be prime minister and do what is necessary for the Algarve and Portugal».
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