“The fortune of Viseu was due to the fact that the PS (Socialist Party) never kept a tight grip here. Our development is closely tied to this situation,” declared Fernando Ruas on Friday evening during the public presentation of his candidacy.
At 76 years of age, Fernando Ruas—who returned to the position he held from 1989 to 2013, securing 46.68% of the votes (five mandates) in 2021—confirmed that after winning the elections on October 12, he will serve his final term until its completion.
“This is the time I need to complete the cycle of extremely important and unique investments I envisioned for Viseu and that we have planned,” he explained.
The social-democrat mayor expressed no concern over the potential victory of socialist João Azevedo, the current opposition councilman, whom he will face for the second time. Azevedo received 38.26% of the votes (four mandates) in the 2021 municipal elections.
“It’s been clear to us for a while that our main opponent lives solely on ‘sound bytes’ that his fake Facebook profiles sponsor and fuel,” he criticized.
Fernando Ruas stated that during the PS Government, João Azevedo assumed the role of a ‘side-car’ because “he only moved for promises to citizens using the motorcycles of government members willing to support the deception.”
“Usually the mountain was laboring to bring forth a mouse,” he emphasized.
Ruas attributed the progress of current projects, such as the works on Main Route 3 (to expand to four lanes between Coimbra and Viseu), the “irreversible decision to construct the (new) Fagilde Dam,” and the resolution of high-level water supply issues, to his administration’s “persuasion and claim-making ability.”
“There was something we would have liked to reverse: the spending of hundreds of thousands of euros on studies that yielded no results,” he mentioned.
Ruas pointed out that there are “more things” he has agreed upon with the Government to complete this cycle, which “bother the socialists”—for example, the long-awaited radiotherapy center.
The public ceremony was attended by António Leitão Amaro, vice-president of the PSD National Political Commission, who assured that Viseu will soon see “projects that never went beyond signs,” like the radiotherapy center.
“If someone has the misfortune of having an oncological disease, they currently have to go to Coimbra, but they could be treated here. It’s our priority, and we’re doing everything to make it happen,” assured the Minister of the Presidency.
