In these upcoming local elections, the first under his leadership of CDS-PP, Nuno Melo has set a goal to remain “highly significant at the local level,” aiming to “maintain or preferably grow” the centrist party’s presence, which currently leads six municipalities.
In the 2021 local elections, with Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos as party president, CDS-PP retained control over the six municipalities it commanded: Velas (Azores), Santana (Madeira), Ponte de Lima (Viana do Castelo), Vale de Cambra, Oliveira do Bairro, and Albergaria-a-Velha (Aveiro).
Of these six, the mayors of Velas, Vale de Cambra, and Albergaria-a-Velha are ineligible for re-election due to term limits. The CDS-PP leader indicated that the party will present “candidates with significant political experience, highly recognized by the local communities, and respected beyond the CDS.”
In Vale de Cambra, the party has nominated André Martins Silva, the current Sports Councilor, while in Albergaria-a-Velha, Carlos Coelho, the current president of the Branca Parish Council, has been announced as the candidate.
At the CDS-PP National Council on July 21, Nuno Melo also highlighted the party’s own candidate lists in Viseu, where former deputy Hélder Amaral is running against social-democrat Fernando Ruas, and in Vila Franca de Xira, where the candidacy is headed by parliamentary leader Paulo Núncio, the only CDS-PP deputy contesting these local elections.
The centrist presence in these elections is also marked by challenging negotiations for the coalition supporting the re-election of Lisbon’s current mayor, Carlos Moedas, resulting from intentions to include IL in the agreement.
In the alliance established for the October elections between PSD, CDS-PP, and IL, it is expected that PSD will nominate, in addition to the presidential candidate, the numbers 2, 3, and 6 on the list, while CDS-PP will nominate the 5th and 7th positions, and IL the 4th and 8th.
The agreement outlines that PSD will designate the president of the Municipal Assembly and IL the second name, with CDS-PP choosing the fourth elected member. Four years ago, CDS-PP secured the vice-presidency of the Lisbon City Council, occupied by Filipe Anacoreta Correia (who has since announced his departure from the centrists).
While not all candidacies are finalized, the centrists have already agreed on dozens of coalitions with PSD in municipalities such as Coimbra, Cascais, Oeiras, Vila Nova de Gaia, Matosinhos, Famalicão, Castelo Branco, Caldas da Rainha, Amarante, Maia, Estremoz, Barreiro, Alcochete, and Montemor-o-Novo.
In areas where they ran self-listed, the centrists garnered 1.50% of the votes (74,869) in the last local elections, according to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Affairs data.
