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Olhão Socialists thwarted as António Pina is reselected as candidate for mayor

PinaJeSuisTShirtThe Socialist Party's Algarve District Political Commission has confirmed António Pina as the party’s choice as the candidate in the October 1st local elections, despite the city’s Socialists earlier deselecting Pina, citing a litany of undemocratic decisions and a too-close relationship with the opposition PSD that has enable him to rule the chamber.

Pina walked out of a Olhão council meeting to select candidates when he realised his name was not on the selection list and went straight to Algarve regional headquarters to start the process of having himself directly appointed, over the heads of the local Olhão Socialists.

A special board had to be created by the PS District Political Commission, composed of Isilda Gomes, Luís Graça and Fernando Anastácio, to decide whether to appoint Pina as Olhão’s Socialist candidate in the October 1st local elections, thus annoying Olhão’s loyal party supporters, or allow the Olhão socialists’ deselection to stand and to cut Pina free. The decison was endorsed by the National Congress of the Socialist Party and the National Political Commission.

Democracy this is not - Pina has been appointed despite the Olhão Socialists’ decision that Pina is not fit to be the mayor and therefore that that they don’t want him as the Socialists' candidate.

Pina also gets to choose parish council candidates with three of the four parishes in Olhão under Socialist rule since 2013.

The charismatic mayor is renowned for playing devious games in council meetings and getting his own way by concealing information, tactical voting and briefing against those in his way.

Major opposition to the thoughtless modernisation of the city’s historic centre caught him by surprise and caused a rethink but that fight is not over as Pina's March 2017 redrafted plans look horribly similar to the original proposals with a few word changes to trick people into thinking all is well.

The opposition to the a planned one way system past the iconic markets and a resulting 2,000 signature petition, was dismissed, as “not all of the signatories live in Olhão.”

These mistakes show Pina’s youth and his inability to carry through his plans unless doing a deal with the opposition ‘devil’, may yet be his downfall.

On staffing matters, his refusal to sack the two council employees recently convicted of extorting money from property owners is but the tip of an administration run on cronyism and endemic inefficiency.

Olhão is a socialist stronghold and with regional support, Pina is likely to be relected as mayor. How he handles those who have opposed his relection will not be a pretty sight.

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Comments  

+1 #1 Maxwell 2017-05-16 10:50
This is happening all over the southern eurozone. As we have seen with similarly backward Greece the labels left, right and centre are meaningless as there is absolutely no history behind them. No workers agitating for better conditions and pay over the decades. As with any ex-Fascist state, no extended social turmoil with a final recognition of their views, now accepted at the 'High Table'. In any case, as we now know, any agitating against the social order in Portugal for much of the last century got you disappeared. Or found dead or damaged. Some, less troublesome and willing to see the error of their ways, imprisoned.

The assumption we can make with this Pina chap is that politics is, as so often, the last refuge of a well connected scoundrel. So, to avoid prosecution for past misdemeanour’s - he stands again for Mayor. With a cadre of well greased heavyweight supporters.

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