“This is a national issue; the truth is that the country needs leadership in Porto that asserts itself at a national level. The country is becoming increasingly centralist. We need a country that also has territorial cohesion. We need to have critical mass spread across the country,” he continued during the presentation of the coalition’s electoral program.
He added: “If it’s not the Mayor of Porto to advocate for this national desire, no one else will do it. And if it doesn’t happen, those not living in Lisbon will be left behind.”
In this context, Pedro Duarte stresses that his position “is not a criticism of the previous leaders of Porto City Hall” and assured that with him as Mayor of Porto “the North will also have a leader (…) who, when he speaks, the country will have to listen.”
Emphasizing that “security is the foundation of freedom,” Pedro Duarte warned that “a city is only truly fair, inclusive, and democratic when everyone feels protected,” refusing to accept “that women, the elderly, or children fear walking freely on the streets, at any time and in any place.”
The combat, he said, is done with “100 more police officers on the street,” a measure he described as a “symbol of determination” to “restore tranquility, confidence, and authority to the city,” stressing that “a new attitude is necessary, with an integrated approach that combines enhanced supervision, cooperation between police and judicial entities, and the adoption of preventive and corrective measures.”
For Pedro Duarte, simply increasing the numbers is not enough; he calls for a “revision of the current legislation, to provide more agility and operational capacity to the Municipal Police of Porto, so that coordination with other forces, specifically the PSP, can mean more efficiency and effectiveness in protecting people and property.”
Nightlife is also part of the program, with Pedro Duarte wanting to promote awareness actions for community good conduct rules and assess the introduction of an alarm system with geolocation in the future single digital application of the municipality, activated by authenticated citizens with Digital Mobile Key (CMD) or municipal credentials, allowing for immediate and georeferenced assistance requests by security forces.
Competing for the Porto City Hall are Manuel Pizarro (PS), Diana Ferreira (CDU – PCP/PEV coalition), Nuno Cardoso (Porto Primeiro – NC/PPM coalition), Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition), Sérgio Aires (BE), current vice-president Filipe Araújo (Fazer à Porto – independent), Guilherme Alexandre Jorge (Volt), Hélder Sousa (Livre), Miguel Corte-Real (Chega), Frederico Duarte Carvalho (ADN), Maria Amélia Costa (PTP), and Luís Tinoco Azevedo (PLS).
The current executive is composed of a majority of six elected from Rui Moreira’s movement and one independent councilor, with the remaining two elected from the PS, two from the PSD, one from the CDU, and one from the BE.
The local elections will take place on October 12.
