“Our candidacy does nothing against anyone, and we do not engage in the ‘bullying’ that the PSD has been doing. Winning the City Hall doesn’t justify everything, winning these elections doesn’t justify everything, and I truly believe that Francisco Sá Carneiro would blush with shame at this undemocratic attitude by the PSD,” declared Filipe Araújo today in a press conference, leading the independent movement ‘Fazer à Porto’.
Following the final submission of the lists to the municipal courts for the local elections, Filipe Araújo’s candidacy reported that the coalition ‘O Porto Somos Nós’ (PSD/CDS-PP/IL) challenged the lists presented by the independent movement for Porto’s parish councils, arguing that more signatures should have been submitted—specifically 3% of the total voters of each parish rather than the 1% that was provided.
Currently, according to his candidacy, the court has ruled against the challenge presented by Pedro Duarte’s movement to the independents’ list for the Union of the Parishes of Aldoar, Foz do Douro, and Nevogilde.
Araújo commented that the court stopped “what was an attempt at a palace coup” and expressed that, from the PSD, “there is fear of facing the competition.”
“Let me say that I feel there is a certain fear of the democratic will of the city, which has been reflected in the choice of independents over parties in recent years,” he shared.
An official spokesperson for the PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition’s candidacy confirmed the challenges to the lists presented by Filipe Araújo, clarifying that these actions did not originate from Pedro Duarte but were initiated by their candidates to the parish councils, who claimed to have “detected illegalities in the collection of signatures.”
Alberto Machado, president of the PSD Porto branch and number two on the coalition’s list for the Porto Municipal Assembly, described Filipe Araújo’s statements as “comical” and “another attempt to victimize himself publicly and to throw sand in the eyes of Porto’s citizens, since his candidacy also filed proceedings to challenge two other independent candidacies.”
When asked if he had also filed challenges to lists presented by other candidates, Filipe Araújo confirmed today that he did, specifically to the lists presented by Nuno Cardoso (Porto Primeiro – coalition NC/PPM) and the independent António Araújo for the parishes.
“We only submitted requests to have the names presented on the lists to the parish councils changed. (…) In compliance with the law, our ballot reads ‘Filipe Araújo – Fazer à Porto’ for the city council and assembly, but for the parishes, our candidacy can only be ‘Fazer à Porto’ and does not include ‘Filipe Araújo,’ fulfilling what the law stipulates.”
Regarding the challenges he presented, Filipe Araújo argued that “the PSD tried to limit democracy in Porto,” but stated that his candidacy “only pointed out technical issues to be addressed.”
The request made last Wednesday by Lusa for access to the challenge proceedings was denied today by the Porto Court of Appeal.
Candidates competing for the Mayor of Porto include Manuel Pizarro (PS), Diana Ferreira (CDU – coalition PCP/PEV), Nuno Cardoso (Porto Primeiro – coalition NC/PPM), Pedro Duarte (PSD/IL/CDS-PP), Sérgio Aires (BE), current vice-president Filipe Araújo (independent movement), António Araújo (independent movement), Alexandre Guilherme Jorge (Volt), Hélder Sousa (Livre), Miguel Corte-Real (Chega), Frederico Duarte Carvalho (ADN), Maria Amélia Costa (PTP), and Luís Tinoco Azevedo (Partido Liberal Social).
The current executive includes a majority of six elected representatives from Rui Moreira’s movement and an independent councilor, with the remaining members consisting of two from PS, two from PSD, one from CDU, and one from BE.
The municipal elections are scheduled for October 12.
