Last Friday, July 7th, the National Election Commission gave Vila Real de Santo António’s council until Monday morning to remove posters announcing great works achieved by the municipality.
These posters were seen as the local political party getting involved in promoting the council “to the detriment of others," and hence, broke pre-election rules.
A complaint was sent to the Election Commission by the Left Bloc candidate Celeste Santos, who claimed the posters were "prohibited institutional publicity" placed by the Council after the local election date of October 1st had been announced.
Councils have a "special duty of neutrality and impartiality" in this period, according to the terms of the law covering local authority elections.
Celeste Santos claims the ruling as "a great victory over the arrogance of the council," and awaits to see the removal of the offending posters.
Over in Olhão, the mayor has had a similar communication from the National Election Commission as he has been busy promoting his achievements and future projects on massive hoardings.
The council was given 36 hours to remove publicity material that praised its own work in an increasingly desperate effort to get the current mayor, António Pina, re-elected.
"Olhão City Council posted commercial advertising on June 20, 2017, about a project, on a panel with of more than two hundred square metres, violating article 10 of Dec- Law 72-A / 2015.
“On 05/30/2017, after date of the election had been announced, the Olhão council signed a service agreement for the printing of stickers and advertising banners, a contract that was published on the Government website, with the obvious intention of publicising works, services, acts and programmes in violation of the Electoral Law,“ reads the National Election Commission email.
Such is the concentration of power in Olhão council, Pina was able to go ahead with his self-promotion at the taxpayers’ expense, without a vote and without censure - until the Commission's email which Pina may, or may not decide act on.
One of the illegal Olhão posters, sited near the Health Centre
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