Numa speech at a rally in Praça da República in Viana do Castelo, where the CDU holds a councilor position, Paulo Raimundo urged voters to “vote for the force that does not abandon electoral promises” in the upcoming municipal elections this Sunday.
“Now in the campaign, you see them. It would almost be possible to hold a contest to see who is making the most electoral promises at this stage. But vote for the force that, unlike the others, does not make promises upon promises and afterwards discard them,” he criticized.
Paulo Raimundo advocated that, unlike these unnamed parties, the CDU “honors each and every commitment” it makes and “reports back to the citizens every day.”
Speaking to a few dozen people who had participated in a march through the center of Viana do Castelo with him, the PCP’s general secretary asserted that the CDU is a “force that does not deceive.”
“This is the force that does not allow the notion that all politicians are the same. Those who are in the Viana do Castelo municipal bodies and have bowed to great interests and handed over water, a public good, to private management are the ones who are all the same,” he stated, contrasting this with the CDU as the “force of difference.”
The reference to politicians all being the same came after Paulo Raimundo encountered a woman during his walk in the city center, who lamented the state of the country and expressed concerns about dishonest politicians.
In conversation with the woman, Paulo Raimundo argued for more “serious and honest” individuals in politics—the CDU’s slogan in this campaign is “work, honesty, competence.”
Although the CDU came in third in the 2021 Viana do Castelo Municipal Council elections, electing one councilor, the coalition holds the presidency of the union of parishes in Viana do Castelo city, where it topped the polls.
Asked why the CDU won in the parish union but not in the municipal elections, Paulo Raimundo suggested that the CDU’s “close and personal connection project” is “easier” to implement from the parish councils.
“We are paving the way for the CDU to present itself as an alternative, not just in parish council management as we have been, but also for city council management,” he stated, acknowledging, however, that this is currently “very difficult.”
Subsequently, the PCP’s general secretary took a jab at Chega leader André Ventura, who had recently declared a desire for the Algarve region to become his party’s “great bastion.”
“There’s no use in arrogance and demagoguery claiming we will make the Viana do Castelo Municipal Council a CDU bastion. That would be arrogance and demagoguery, but rest assured, we won’t give up on these people,” he noted.
Paulo Raimundo emphasized that for these elections, the CDU aims to reelect a councilor and gain “more votes and more power” so that the coalition’s work can have a “greater impact on people’s lives.”
The CDU’s candidate for the local Municipal Council is José Maria Flores, who has previously been part of the executive of the union of parishes where Viana do Castelo city is located, a position the CDU has historically secured.
