The PS (Socialist Party) won 12 of the 16 municipal councils in the Algarve in yesterdays elections, adding two more to the ten places it had held since 2017.
The Socialist Party achieved its second best result ever in the Algarve (in 1976, the PS got 15 of the 16 councils with the exception of Monchique), by winning twelve municipal councils: Aljezur, Monchique, Vila do Bispo, Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa, Loulé , São Brás de Alportel, Olhão, Tavira (with Ana Paula Martins winning with a margin of 123 votes over Dinis Faísca), Alcoutim and Vila Real de Santo António.
The PSD (Social Democrat Party) lost two of the councils it had held (Vila Real de Santo António and Monchique), but kept Faro and Castro Marim with an absolute majority. It also maintained Albufeira, with José Carlos Rolo, but without a majority, electing three councillors with 32.04% of the votes. The PS elected two councillors (25.67%) and the independent movement, led by Desidério Silva, former president of the PSD, elected one councillor (15.99%). Abel Zua, who heads another independent movement, was also elected councillor with 10.45% of the votes.
In Faro, the Algarve capital, the PSD reinforced the absolute majority, obtaining six out of nine seats. Faro PS, which held four mandates, lost one with a result far below the expectations of its candidate João Marques.
For the Municipal Assembly, Cristóvão Norte is the new president. For this municipal body, there is fragmentation in the distribution of seats, with the PSD conquering 13 seats, the PS 9, the CDU two, and the Left Block, PAN and Chega, with one elected representative.
For the CDU (Unitary Democratic Coalition), Rosa Palma is re-elected for a new term after winning the Municipality of Silves with 43.07% of the votes. The CDU elects four councillors, the PSD two councillors with (23.20% of the votes) and the PS one councillor (18.98%).
So far, Chega has elected a councillor in Loulé and another in Portimão. Luís Carito, an independent candidate of the "Happy Portimão" coalition for the Portimão City Council, was also elected councillor.
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
