In March, the 18 members of the General Council, the body responsible for electing the rector, were appointed. However, the council’s composition remained incomplete due to a stalemate in selecting the seven co-opted members.
The departure of the previous rector, Emídio Gomes, in September exacerbated the institutional crisis at UTAD, in Vila Real, prompting the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation to intervene by appointing an interim rector and an electoral commission to organize new elections.
According to the electoral calendar published on UTAD’s website by the electoral commission, the election of representatives for faculty members, researchers, students, and non-academic staff to the General Council is scheduled for February 24.
The electoral process begins on Tuesday, with January 21 as the deadline for submitting candidate lists. After the mandatory periods for objections, publication, and posting of the final electoral rolls on UTAD’s website, schools, and services, the election campaign will run from February 6 to 20.
Following the election, the results will be ratified on March 12 unless appeals are submitted to the Ministry of Education. If appeals are filed, the ministry’s decision will be announced on March 16.
If no appeals are made, the first co-option meeting will be held on March 27.
The electoral calendar was released after the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Mirandela dismissed a precautionary measure filed against the decision by the Minister of Education to appoint the electoral commission to call elections for UTAD’s General Council.
The precautionary measure was filed by nine of the 18 elected members of the General Council.
According to the sentence obtained by Lusa agency, the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Mirandela ruled to summarily reject the precautionary measure.
“In light of the above, the initial application must be rejected due to an error in the process form, which cannot be rectified by timing for the appropriate procedural means,” the sentence, dated November 27, concluded.
On October 6, the Minister of Education appointed Jorge Ventura as interim rector to ensure the continuity of university governance until institutional normality is restored.
The ministry stated that the General Council had eight days from that date to initiate the procedure for electing a new rector, which did not occur, prompting the appointment of the Electoral Commission on October 20.
This intervention, according to the ministry, is foreseen in the Legal Framework of Higher Education Institutions (RJIES) for cases of institutional crisis that cannot be resolved within the framework of autonomy.
The ministry further clarified that the Electoral Commission cannot undertake routine management tasks or interfere with the cultural, scientific, and pedagogical autonomy of UTAD, and its functions cease once the new General Council assumes office.
The composition of the General Council, responsible for electing the rector, remained incomplete because in March, the voting method for co-opted members, using a show of hands and the interim president’s deciding vote, was contested in court.
In September, the Northern Central Administrative Court rejected the voting method used and mandated the reopening of the co-option process by secret ballot and a majority decision of the elected council members, in accordance with the General Council’s internal regulations.
Meanwhile, the seven proposed co-opted members have appealed as counter-interested parties to the Supreme Administrative Court.
