Francisco Amaral had been mayor of Alcoutim since 2013
Filomena Sintra is the new mayor of Castro Marim after long-time local leader Francisco Amaral announced his decision to step down on Tuesday.
Without stating a concrete reason behind his decision, Amaral said in a statement to the people of Castro Marim that he recently turned 69. “After 32 years leading the municipalities of Alcoutim and Castro Marim, the time has come to slow down this absorbing, exciting and gratifying mission,” he said.
“The job was not easy many times. For eight years, I did not have a majority in the municipal assembly, and for two years I didn’t have one in the council. I did what I could and what I knew,” Amaral stated.
Thanking everyone who voted for him, the outgoing politician said he “always worked as a team”, and thus his absence will “barely be noticed”. He expressed his confidence in now mayor Filomena Sintra and deputy mayor João Pereira, saying that they will continue trying to “improve the lives of those who live here.”
“Personally, I will continue to contribute voluntarily as a doctor and will regularly be at town hall, as Filomena Sintra has requested,” said Amaral.
Born in Alcoutim in 1955, Amaral obtained his medical degree from the Lisbon Faculty of Medical Sciences in 1981, having served as a family doctor at the Alcoutim health centre between 1982 and 1993. He has been a volunteer doctor at the Algarve University Hospital Centre since 1999. His political career started in 1993 when he was elected as mayor of Alcoutim for the PSD social democrats, having been elected for four more terms. He then moved his political aspirations to the neighbouring borough of Castro Marim, where he was elected continuously since 2013.
In 2006, Amaral was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of Merit by the President of Portugal, Aníbal Cavaco Silva. He served as a Member of Parliament, a member of the European Committee of the Regions, and held positions on the board of AMAL (Algarve Municipalities Association), regional water company Águas do Algarve, and regional waste management company Algar.
He was also a board member of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities and the Algarve Intermunicipal Community. Additionally, he held leadership roles in several organisations: he led the ODIANA Association, served as president of the Guadiana Eurocity, chaired the general assembly of the Balurcos Social, Cultural, Sports and Arts Association, led the general assembly of the Alcoutim Sports Club, and presided over the co-management committee of the Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Natural Reserve. He also worked as a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Medicine in the Algarve.
Castro Marim will now be led – at least until the upcoming local elections this year – by Filomena Sintra, deputy mayor since 2015.
Born in Pombal in 1976, Sintra holds a degree in Business Management and a postgraduate qualification in Regional Economics and Local Development from the University of Algarve. She later completed a postgraduate program in Urban Planning and Tourism Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Lisbon.
