Speaking at a rally in Palmela, a traditional communist stronghold managed by PCP-led coalitions since the first municipal elections in 1976, Paulo Raimundo emphasized that the population “is not out of time” and chooses the CDU because they know its project.
“We fully understand our opponents’ discomfort with CDU’s work. It’s true we haven’t done everything perfectly, we don’t do everything perfectly, we don’t have the arrogance to say we did everything perfectly. But we have a work that serves everyone,” he stated.
Raimundo noted that people who usually choose other political forces in other elections opt for the CDU in local elections because “they feel the work” and “know the candidates,” issuing a warning to opponents of the PCP and PEV coalition.
“We fully understand the effort of boycotts, the headwinds, and the attempts to impede this development process. We recognize the difficulty in mobilizing against our management because, despite its shortcomings, our management addresses the population’s interests and needs,” he argued.
The PCP’s secretary-general also stated that, besides responding to the needs of residents, CDU’s project is built “with the population itself, involving them, encouraging them to participate, to be protagonists in this process.”
Continuing his critique of opponents, Paulo Raimundo said the CDU understands “political differences,” naturally accepts “criticism and political debate,” and is “always very comfortable with this confrontation.”
“However, one thing we do not tolerate, nor do we allow, is lying, slandering, dishonesty, demagogy. And we do not allow, absolutely will not allow anyone, from anywhere, in any form, to challenge the work we have done over the years,” he insisted.
Reiterating that the CDU “does not tolerate this attack,” Paulo Raimundo stated that coalition-elected officials can walk “with their heads held high and faces raised” because “they have work done, work to present, projected work.”
“And we can say with complete tranquility: the caravan will continue to pass. We will continue to manage this municipality for the well-being of the people, the populations, the workers, the youth, for the progress of this land,” he said.
Paulo Raimundo delivered this speech after CDU candidate for the Municipal Council of Palmela, Ana Teresa Vicente, identified as the “first objective,” if elected president, to “resume the proposal of the Municipal Master Plan (PDM)” which she considered was blocked by the opposition in the current term.
“It was politically rejected in the Municipal Assembly by all political forces who, in a style of collusion, felt that this was the way to penalize the CDU. Why? Because the CDU was truly showing what has been its work for many years, a completely different design for the development of this municipality,” she stated.
Ana Teresa Vicente assured that, alongside issues of urban cleanliness and improving the quality of public spaces, the PDM proposal is a priority for the CDU because “people, institutions, and companies have numerous projects contained in that proposal.”
