Domingos Matuto has announced his candidacy for the Alandroal City Hall under the endorsement of the local and national structures of the Portuguese Social Democratic Party (PSD). Despite his unsuccessful bid in the 2021 municipal elections, the candidate is optimistic about his campaign.
As a certified accountant, 69-year-old Matuto hails from Estremoz, located in the Évora district, and has been residing in Alandroal for several years.
The coalition candidate from the PSD/CDS-PP currently serves as the president of the PSD’s local branch in Alandroal and is a member of the Evora District Political Commission of the party.
In discussions, Matuto acknowledged the challenges of winning the elections, citing a strong dependency of the area on the municipal government. He underscored the importance of electing council members and achieving significant representation in the assembly.
“Alandroal is in a state of significant stagnation,” Matuto expressed, cautioning that the municipality might eventually become a parish of a neighboring area if the current policies persist.
Pointing out aging demographics as a critical issue, Matuto criticized the Socialist Party’s administration for its lack of focus on the problem.
He emphasized, “There are numerous needs in terms of water and sewage infrastructure, yet not a dime is allocated in the budgets to address these everyday challenges.”
Matuto further argued that the socialist majority is deliberately maintaining excessive debt levels to avoid lowering taxes.
“We have the example of Reguengos de Monsaraz, which escaped excessive debt within two years, while Alandroal has been stagnant since 2017 due to a lack of interest from the administration, restricting the municipality’s activities,” he remarked.
This announcement marks the second candidacy for the Alandroal City Hall following the declaration by the current mayor, Socialist João Grilo, of his intention to pursue a fourth term, which would count as his third consecutive mandate.
The current municipal council comprises four representatives from the Socialist Party and one from the “Nós Cidadãos” party.
The municipal elections are anticipated to take place in September or October of this year.
