During the opening session of the XXVII Congress of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), Carlos Moedas, who is also the president of the Congress Board, emphasized that “the foundation of any democracy is precisely local power” and, as a municipalist, advocated for “a decentralization of competencies that is effective and real.”
“We do not want it to be a half-decentralization. We do not want municipalities to become mere task performers for the State, fulfilling tasks that the Central State does not want to undertake. Reaffirming the principles of 1976 means reaffirming a decentralization that provides us with true competencies in health, education, and security to effectively serve the people,” he stated.
“Do not turn mayors into employees of the Government. We are not. We will not be. We are elected by the people,” he added.
Moedas recalled that in about a year, on December 12, 2026, it will mark 50 years since the first democratic municipal elections, a significant day considering that before then “there was no choice,” as mayors were appointed by the Government.
“But more than celebrating, we need to live up to that date […] Essentially, renew our commitment to the country,” he stated.
The mayor of Lisbon noted that there has been “a lot of talk about the reform of the autarchic governance model” and urged that “no one starts inventing.”
“I want to be clear on this matter: A mayor has the power and responsibility they have because they are directly elected by the people. And that is how it should be. They should be accountable to the people who elect them, for better or worse,” he claimed.
Moedas argued that the mayor “should not be elected or appointed by the Municipal Assembly, nor should their executive be elected or approved by the Municipal Assembly.”
“If we want to improve the relationship between local power and people, then end the current utterly Kafkaesque composition of executives. Having the opposition in the executive does not exist in any European democracy,” he stated.
“A mayor cannot lead an executive where councilors without portfolios are there only to block. A mayor must govern with the councilors to whom they assign portfolios. They must govern with a sort of executive committee,” he added, emphasizing that this would “indeed make local democracy effective.”
Carlos Moedas also highlighted that mayors must work towards territorial cohesion because the country needs “a dynamic and economically vigorous Interior,” more housing, and more innovation because “it is in municipalities that wealth and employment are created.”
The XXVII ANMP Congress gathers today and Sunday in Viana do Castelo, hundreds of mayors elected in October, to discuss topics such as local finances, the autonomy of local power, and the decentralization of competencies.
In the first congress after the municipal elections, Pedro Pimpão, the re-elected mayor of Pombal (PSD), is the only candidate to succeed the socialist Luísa Salgueiro, mayor of Matosinhos.
