The recent municipal elections in Portalegre have sparked a misunderstanding regarding the election of a municipal deputy from the Liberal Initiative (IL) party, as explained by Ricardo Romão, leader of the CLIP list during the Sunday elections. Romão admitted there may have been an error or a misunderstanding concerning a seat by IL.
The issue surrounds the election of João Leal da Costa to the Portalegre Municipal Assembly. Although a member of the IL and a former candidate for IL in the Portalegre district in the 2024 legislative elections, Costa joined an independent movement list for the recent local elections.
On Tuesday, the IL announced on social media that it had secured entry into the municipal assemblies of 43 new councils, including Portalegre. This announcement prompted Romão to state that the movement was “completely unrelated” to the situation and emphasized that independent movements cannot form coalitions with political parties.
“People from various political affiliations participate as citizens in the candidacy, and we never ask anyone to show a party membership card nor exclude them on that basis,” Romão explained.
He further noted that individuals involved in the movement participate freely and that any issues with their respective parties are for them to resolve independently.
“The matter regarding the parties they represent or have previously represented is entirely their concern,” Romão stressed.
Romão suggested that IL’s mention of electing a deputy in Portalegre, a district where the IL did not field candidates, “could be a mistake.”
“I have no idea. I am not addressing something outside our responsibility. I think it could be a misunderstanding, an error that we do not consider problematic,” he commented.
In a written response to inquiries from Lusa, a Liberal Initiative source noted that their social media post “reflects the IL members elected in the latest municipal elections.”
In the recent municipal elections, the PSD/CDS-PP coalition won the Portalegre Municipal Assembly with 11 seats, while the PS and CLIP each secured four mandates, and the Chega and CDU elected one municipal deputy each, according to the Ministry of Internal Administration.
The PSD/CDS-PP coalition achieved an absolute majority in the Portalegre City Council, securing six out of the seven mandates, with one going to the PS, re-electing the incumbent mayor Fermelinda Carvalho.
