José Luís Carneiro underscored his familiarity with the challenges facing Resende, Cinfães (Viseu district), and Baião (Porto district), municipalities within the Tâmega and Sousa Intermunicipal Community (CIM).
Among the highlighted obstacles are the access routes to Resende, which were promised by Socialist Prime Minister António Costa. The current President of the Resende Municipality, Garcez Trindade (PS), ascribed the unmet promise to a “significant disappointment” in political life.
Carneiro acknowledged today that one of the main developmental challenges is establishing the connection between Baião, Ponte Ermida, Resende, Bigorne, and A24, which is a significant goal for both the municipality and the region.
“We have fought hard for this project. As you well know, we fought for this project to be put to tender in 2009. Unfortunately, the financial crisis led the AD government to suspend public investments, including this connection between Baião and Resende,” he stated.
He insisted that it’s crucial to ensure future investment beyond what’s currently planned, also securing the link between Resende, Bigorne, and A24, as it is vital for territorial cohesion, investment attraction, job creation, and the improvement of living conditions and opportunities.
Another vital route he pointed out is the connection between Soalhães (Marco de Canaveses), Mesquinhata (Baião), and Cinfães—a bypass to the National Road 211 (EN211)—connecting to the Carrapatelo dam, which he described as essential infrastructural investments.
“I want to make it clear that this is a commitment I make to all of you who already know me well. Commitments made by us are commitments to be respected and fulfilled when we have the responsibility to govern this country,” he declared.
Addressing about 400 people on the day the Socialist candidate for the Resende Council, Jorge Caetano, was introduced for the October 12 local elections, none of the speakers mentioned the current mayor, Garcez Trindade, who was absent from the Municipal Forum and has been critical of his party.
The late afternoon was marked by numerous references to António Borges, former Resende mayor and current president of the local Socialist Party (PS), and Armando Mourisco, former Cinfães mayor, current MP, and president of the PS Viseu district.
Carneiro promised that the PS, with António Borges, “will once again lead the country” and assumed he will be the future prime minister, “not out of vanity, but for knowing the country well,” emphasizing the territory he was speaking about.
“We have to face significant challenges in the country, both immediate and future ones, and for these challenges, the development of each of the 308 municipalities in our country is very important,” he maintained.
