“I have not forgotten the matter of the toll gates on the A25 highway. It has not been forgotten,” stated Luís Montenegro, acting Prime Minister, during the presentation of Luís Souto Miranda’s candidacy for the presidency of the Aveiro City Council by the “Aliança Mais Aveiro” coalition, which includes PSD, CDS, and PPM, for the upcoming local elections.
The issue revolves around the maintenance of three toll gates at the beginning of the A25, two in the municipality of Aveiro and one in Albergaria-a-Velha, as they belong to a concession not covered by the decree that abolished toll payments on the main expressways in the Interior and Algarve known as SCUT.
Before a full room of dozens of supporters, Luís Montenegro acknowledged that he has already recognized that “it does not make sense,” asserting his intention to “resolve all cases with some similarity in the country.”
The Prime Minister also praised the work carried out by the current mayor, social democrat Ribau Esteves, who is not running again due to term limit laws, arguing that Aveiro “does not deserve to waste the path of development it has traveled in recent years.”
“Aveiro needs to continue the work of transformation, modernization, enhancement of people, of the territory, and the social and economic dynamics that has been pursued over the recent years by successive municipal governments led by Ribau Esteves (…) It would be a significant waste if this path was now interrupted to regress,” he stated.
Luís Montenegro further emphasized that Luís Souto Miranda’s candidacy is not about settling scores with the past, referring to the candidacy of his brother, Socialist Alberto Souto Miranda, who led the Aveiro City Council between 1998 and 2005 and lost the elections to Élio Maia (PSD/CDS).
In his candidacy announcement speech, Luís Souto expressed confidence in a victory in the upcoming local and legislative elections, foreseeing what he described as a golden chapter in the municipality’s relationship with the next national government, led by Luís Montenegro.
The candidate also mentioned that health is a priority for the people of Aveiro, expressing conviction that Luís Montenegro will provide “the decisive momentum for the long-demanded expansion of the local hospital,” announcing the future presentation of a municipal program that will focus on enhancing the quality of life, valuing the work done in recent mandates.
The ‘Aliança Mais Aveiro’ candidate also welcomed the presence of Ribau Esteves, who resigned in February from his position as president of the local PSD section’s Assembly due to disagreements over the candidate’s choice, asserting that this is the time for unity and asking the current mayor to pass on the legacy of his work in Aveiro.
