Rui Moreira announced on his personal Facebook page that his project is concluded after 12 years, as individuals who were with him are now competing in four different candidacies. “I do not support – neither publicly nor privately – any candidacy” in the upcoming local elections, he stated, following comments by Filipe Araújo, the current vice-president and head of the independent movement Fazer à Porto, who felt he always had Moreira’s support.
Maintaining his stance of neutrality and independence, Moreira urges citizens to vote for those they believe can make Porto a better city. He acknowledged the democratic energy of those invested in the city’s future but criticized what he termed as unjustified attacks and the wrongful appropriation of 12 years of work by his executive and municipal services.
The outgoing mayor confessed not everything was achieved during his three terms, but noted significant accomplishments. “The gray Porto we inherited no longer exists, and we’ve combined culture with good finances… Now, a new era begins,” he declared.
Among his current councilors, Catarina Araújo is on the PSD/CDS-PP/IL list, Fernando Paulo is with the PS, and Filipe Araújo leads an independent candidacy, with others from Moreira’s team spread across various election lists.
Running for the Porto City Hall are Manuel Pizarro (PS), Diana Ferreira (CDU – PCP/PEV coalition), Nuno Cardoso (Porto Primeiro – NC/PPM coalition), Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition), Sérgio Aires (BE), current vice-president Filipe Araújo (Fazer à Porto – independent), Guilherme Alexandre Jorge (Volt), Hélder Sousa (Livre), Miguel Corte-Real (Chega), Frederico Duarte Carvalho (ADN), Maria Amélia Costa (PTP), and Luís Tinoco Azevedo (PLS).
The current executive consists of a majority of six elected officials from Moreira’s movement and an independent councilor, alongside two elected from PS, two from PSD, one from CDU, and one from BE.
