The Portuguese Communist Party, always keen to welcome brothers from over the water, submitted a petition to parliament to have a bridge built between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar, in Spain, which has been approved.
Contracts can be drawn up with the Spanish and Andalucian authorities to build the bridge, which is "vital for the economic and social development of the northeast Algarve."
The construction of a bridge should have a major impact on the local economy by bringing tourism and trade. The communists say that this is a "first step towards the realisation of an old request from of the populations on both banks of the river Guadiana. This will combat the process of depopulation and demographic ageing that has affected the northeast of the Algarve for some decades."
In July 2013, the Communists presented a draft resolution to parliament, recommending the construction of a second Guadiana International Bridge between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar: this petition failed.
In the latest vote on October 26th, the ruling Socialist Party decided to abstain, thus ensuring the petition went through parliament with a ‘yes’ vote.
This change in the PS's vote "does not contribute to the achievement of the goal of the Alcoutim-Sanlúcar Bridge," said the Communist Party, which promises to demand from the Government to comply with the decision taken in the Assembly of the Republic and get the Alcoutim-Sanlúcar bridge built as soon as possible.
