At a Metro Mondego General Assembly held this morning, a proposal by the State resulted in the dismissal of current associated board members, retaining the current chairman of the board, João Marrana, stated the mayors of Miranda do Corvo and Lousã.
Departing from the board are Eduardo Barata, professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra and a substitute on the PS list for the 2021 municipal elections, and Teresa Jorge, former vice-president of the Regional Coordination and Development Commission of the Center and former chief of staff in the government led by António Guterres.
The two executive board members were replaced by Ricardo Cândido, head of division in the Figueira da Foz City Council, and Cristina Agreira, lecturer and coordinator of the electrotechnical engineering course at the Institute of Engineering of Coimbra, both members of the executive board of the Santo António dos Olivais Parish Council, led by the coalition Juntos Somos Coimbra.
The mayor of Miranda do Corvo, Miguel Baptista, stated that the State, as the majority shareholder, provided no justification for the dismissal, which occurs during a critical phase of the project, as it prepares to initiate operations by year-end between Serpins (Lousã) and Portagem (Coimbra).
“The correct timing would be at the end of the term, in December,” he said.
The municipalities of Lousã and Miranda do Corvo, both PS-led, opposed the decision, stating that interrupting the term “will create instability in the company’s management at a crucial time for the system’s launch.”
“Any changes to the administration now could jeopardize the stability, efficiency, and confidence necessary for this start,” they added, also stating that the premature replacement may involve compensations and that proposals were not previously coordinated with the municipalities that will be served by the Mondego Mobility System (SMM).
Questioned, the mayor of Coimbra, José Manuel Silva, stated that the replacement “is the responsibility of the tutelage, the majority shareholder.”
“It’s a decision of the tutelage, not the City Council, and we respect it,” said the mayor, considering the change will not create difficulties for the SMM, “otherwise, the tutelage wouldn’t have made this decision.”
“The system is up and running,” he added.
The PS of Coimbra criticized the decision to dismiss the two members as “irresponsible” and potentially threatening the execution of the Mondego Mobility System itself.
Socialists see the decision as meant to “accommodate Coalition Juntos Somos Coimbra confidants a month before municipal elections.”
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing confirmed the general assembly and the replacement of the two board members “as of September 4,” without further explanation on the reason for the early replacement.
Metro Mondego manages the SMM, which will serve the municipalities of Coimbra, Miranda do Corvo, and Lousã.
The SMM began a preliminary phase on Friday with a five-kilometer section in Coimbra, a decision also criticized by the municipalities of Miranda do Corvo and Lousã.
