The suspect, Marco Silva, serves as the agent for Chega’s candidacy for the Vendas Novas municipal council, led by Jorge Alcobia Pereira, in the upcoming local elections, confirmed the candidate after circulating reports.
“Officially, he remains the agent because legally it is not easy to replace him,” after the submission of the lists to the court, stated the candidate.
However, Marco Silva “is no longer performing the role” as an agent because “he wanted to step down some time ago,” he explained, adding that, “He was not on the lists, and we have no contact with him anymore.”
According to the Chega candidate for the Vendas Novas council, Marco Silva informed the candidacy of his intention to leave the party.
In the previous local elections held in 2021, Marco Silva was Chega’s lead candidate for the Vendas Novas council, although he was not elected, and he previously coordinated the party’s local board.
A source from the Évora Territorial Command of the GNR mentioned that the alleged arsonist was caught in the act, early this morning, near the EM530, which connects Cortiçadas de Lavre to the National Road 380 (EN380), after being spotted exiting his vehicle and setting fire to the roadside.
“He possessed a lighter, a bottle of alcohol, and newspapers,” which he allegedly used to ignite the fire, stated the same source.
According to the GNR source, soldiers from the Montemor-o-Novo Detachment of the Guard were conducting investigations since Sunday after the emergence of fire outbreaks in the early morning over several days in the area.
Following these ignitions, “pastureland was burned, and firefighters from Vendas Novas and Montemor-o-Novo managed to extinguish the fire outbreaks quickly,” it was highlighted.
The detainee will be presented for the first judicial interrogation at the Montemor-o-Novo Court for the application of possible coercive measures.
