During a walkabout in Sines, Setúbal district, Paulo Raimundo responded to remarks by Luís Montenegro, who earlier stated that the Government would work with all municipalities despite “not all mayors responding with the same diligence to central government policies.”
“It’s hard for me to believe that the words will be followed by actions, but we will see,” Paulo Raimundo reacted, considering there has been, so far, a “contradiction between the discourse and the practice.”
“The same Government that says it wants to work with the mayors, that it wants to respond to needs, among other things, is the same Government currently preparing the closure, the concentration of obstetrics emergencies in Almada, further distancing the population. (…) There is a contradiction in this speech,” he emphasized.
Paulo Raimundo argued that “beautiful speeches and intentions” are not worthwhile, emphasizing that, even during an election campaign, “there should be respect for people,” and remarked that the important thing is that, “beyond the talk, there is resolution.”
“And what is a fact? Do you want a concrete example? I will give you a concrete example. People have been waiting 20 years for the construction of the hospital in Seixal. These populations here are waiting for public services that meet their needs because this is bursting at the seams,” he said.
Regarding Montenegro’s comments that “not all mayors respond with the same diligence to central government policies,” Paulo Raimundo expressed that he does not wish to evaluate central policies but interprets these declarations as praise for the elected officials of the CDU.
“I was not expecting the Prime Minister to make such a great compliment to the diligence of the CDU’s elected officials, who are always diligent in solving the problem of the populations, claiming the rights of the populations,” he said.
Paulo Raimundo made these statements during a walk in Sines, a municipality that has always been under PCP-led coalitions between 1976 and 2005, but has been managed by PS since 2013.
This year, the CDU is backing candidate Álvaro Beijinha, the Mayor of Cacém from 2013 to 2025, who accompanied Paulo Raimundo during their morning walk through the center of Sines.
To journalists, Paulo Raimundo stated that the CDU is “on a dynamic path to victory” and expressed confidence that, 20 years after its management, “it is possible to reconquer and recover” Sines for the coalition.
“We need to address the concrete problems of people’s lives here in Sines and need to have a project for the present, but with an eye on the future, because this is an area that will grow and expand — and that’s a good sign — and a sustainable development project is needed here, alongside demands to the Government to fulfill its obligations,” he stated.
Paulo Raimundo maintained that “all of this is only possible with the CDU” and stressed that “perhaps some did not expect this possibility of a dynamic victory, but it is on the ground.”
