The leaders of the Social Democrats in Olhão have joined the local uproar by saying it is "surprised" that President Cavaco Silva has awarded the Order of Merit to the former Mayor of Olhão, Francisco Leal.
The PSD-Olhão points to the overall negative assessment of the 20 year reign of Leal who was at the helm in Olhão for 20 consecutive years marked by corruption, scandal and court cases.
The PSD-Olhão refers to "the various court cases still pending against the socialist Francisco Leal from his period of governance," "the pollution of the Ria Formosa which the council ignored," dodgy building licences and "above all, the colossal debt that Leal left at the end of his term, due to his mismanagement of the municipality. "
The PSD-Olhão says that the Order of Merit rewards civic irresponsibility and "legitimises the mismanagement of the previous socialist president" who "ruled the council over a period in which neighbouring municipalities exceeded Olhão in all development indicators, and period of stagnation was created."
The Social Democrats feel unable to support the current mayor António Pina who said, on hearing that Leal was to receive an Order of Merit, that his predecessor "is an example of good municipal work in the region in recent years."
In fact the Social Democrats consider that "the work done so far by the current Socialist executive has been marked by the continuation of mediocrity."
Social media has been buzzing with a mixture of outrage and resignation since the news of Leal’s honour was made public.
