The Socialist Party has ruled the council in Olhão since time immemorial, at least since local elections were allowed in 1976.
This changed on Monday as the Social Democrats managed to break the cycle of power in the municipal assembly with some deft footwork.
The Socialist Party won the recent election for the local council with António Pina taking over from Francisco Leal as mayor, but Pina lacked an overall majority and when the internal voting took place for the post of President of the council chamber the Socialists lost out, wrong-footed by a collection of colluding right-of-centre minority parties voting as one.
One Daniel Santana duly was elected President of the municipal assembly of Olhão, and the socialists are not pleased at all, publically criticising this unholy alliance from the right wing, claiming that even though the internal election for President was conducted by secret ballot, the result shows that there was ‘unity’ between the PSD and the other minority parties in electing Daniel Santana.
The wild card president got 14 votes, exactly the number of members from the Social Democrats (7), the Left Bloc (3), the CDU (3) and the independent party Novo Rumo (1).
The Socialist Party that had won the council election with 11 members in the assembly, lacked a clear majority and this has come back to haunt António Pina who will now find it hard to get much achieved unless he can break the alliance that currently stands fair and square in his path.
So far, and still in shock, the Socialsists have contented themselves with some public bitching about the opposing parties, accusing them of "forgetting their ideologies in an obscure and unnatural alliance."
