The head of the PSD’s list and president of the local party branch stated today that the decision was made during a meeting of the party’s political committee held on Monday night. Further clarifications were referred to a released statement.
“The PSD Mafra Political Committee announces that, following the decision of Mafra’s Mayor, Hugo Moreira Luís, to run in the upcoming municipal elections with an independent candidacy, it was decided to withdraw his political confidence,” reads the statement accessed by the news agency.
When questioned, Hugo Moreira Luís confirmed his intention to present an independent candidacy: “I am considering moving forward.”
“The decision represents a serious break with the values of militancy and loyalty that have always guided the PSD’s actions in the municipality,” the local political committee stated.
On Monday, the local party organs decided “to formally withdraw political confidence from the mayor” and “to instruct elected PSD council members to act independently from the mayor, always defending the higher interest of the population and preventing any favoritism of personal agendas.”
The local branch will request the party to “initiate disciplinary proceedings to terminate Hugo Moreira Luís’s militancy and exclude him from regional and national party organs.”
The mayor, also a former president of the PSD Mafra branch, declined to comment on the PSD’s position expressed in the statement.
The mayor does not see “obstacles to the proper functioning of municipal bodies,” three months before the end of the term, and is convinced that “the municipal organs will responsibly fulfill their competencies considering the needs of the municipality.”
On its Facebook page, PSD Mafra published joint solidarity positions of the parish presidents and those elected to the municipal assembly by the party, although not all endorsed them.
In February, the PSD’s national political committee approved the candidacy of Mafra’s Municipal Assembly President, José Bizarro, as the lead candidate in this year’s municipal elections.
His public candidacy presentation took place on May 24, with the presence of the minister and national political committee member Miguel Pinto Luz.
In November, the previous PSD Mafra local political committee, then led by Hugo Moreira Luís, had announced that the mayor would be the lead candidate.
The decision was made public after internal elections were contested between Hugo Luís and José Bizarro for the top spot on the council list, with the majority voting for Hugo Luís.
Hugo Luís clarified at the time that the district and national political committees “were aware” of the internal candidate selection process and supported his candidacy.
In the race for the presidency of Mafra’s council, in Lisbon district, are Pedro Tomás (PS), José Bizarro (PSD), Cátia Almeida (CDU), and Nuno Carvalho (Chega) so far.
Since June 2024, the council has been presided over by Hugo Luís, following Hélder Sousa Silva’s resignation after his election as a Member of the European Parliament.
Since the previous municipal elections in 2021, the municipal executive consists of seven PSD and two PS elected members.
The municipal elections have not yet been scheduled, but according to the law, they occur between September and October.
