“I will propose, at the first council meeting, that the city of Porto rejoin the National Association of Municipalities,” stated Pedro Duarte to journalists today after the inauguration ceremony of the municipal bodies, which took place at the São Bento da Vitória Monastery.
Pedro Duarte, elected by the coalition O Porto Somos Nós (PSD/CDS-PP/IL), noted that there is currently an “irregular circumstance” with the city of Porto not being part of the National Association of Municipalities, for reasons “that certainly have their historical grounding.”
Porto left the ANMP in 2022 under the guidance of the now-former mayor, Rui Moreira, as a form of protest against the decentralization of powers, particularly in health and education.
“Today, that is no longer the case and we will rejoin the National Association of Municipalities. Therefore, my interest and objective are to collaborate and work with all municipalities, especially in the country, through the National Association of Municipalities,” emphasized the new mayor.
When asked whether his counterpart from Gaia, Luís Filipe Menezes, would be a good candidate to lead the ANMP, Pedro Duarte remarked that “he would be an exceptional president” of the ANMP, recognizing “his experience and the path that distinguished him as a mayor, but also in other roles.”
However, he mentioned there is “a wide range of mayors with a lot of experience and quality,” noting that “some may not have as much experience, but possess great quality.”
