A CORDIAL spirit of cross party co-operation seems unlikely to materialise at Lisbon Câmara following the official swearing in ceremony of, the new President Antonio Costa on August 1.
Within moments of taking the helm, the new President faced hostile opposition from defeated PSD candidate Fernando Negrão who accused the PS winning candidate and former Secretary of State of having “driven a bargain with the hard left” and Bloco Esquerda.
Not only that, in what seemed like a deliberate snub to the government’s man on the Câmara, ex-Independent President, António Carmona Rodrigues, arrived 20 minutes late for the ceremony in the Salão Nobre, went straight to his seat without apologising or complimenting the new President.
Independent candidate Helen Roseta was reserved and icy before the ceremony and noticeably failed to shake the hand of the winning candidate after having been sworn in as a Câmara member.
During his acceptance speech, the new President, who won the Câmara elections on Sunday, July 15, said he intended to create a cross-party dialogue and build bridges with the other candidates for the common good of the city.
Building bridges
The President’s conciliatory tone was heard by several distinguished invited guests including Ricardo Salgado, the Chief Executive of Banco Espírito Santo, the Procurator General of the Republic and half a dozen government ministers.
In his speech, António Costa began by complimenting all of the Lisbon citizens present and then welcomed the members of the former Câmara executive, mentioning by name both former President Carmona Rodrigues and Deputy President Marina Ferreira.
With regards to Marina Ferreira, who took over the leadership of the Câmara during the election campaign, he praised her for having undertaken a difficult position during the long and difficult transitional phase running up to the election.
With regards to the other new Câmara members, of which Costa has only succeeded in making one alliance, with José Sà Fernandes, Costa said: “I know very well what is expected from me, and will fulfil my duties with an openness of spirit, a willingness to form dialogue with other Câmara members and to build bridges.”
“I will not abdicate my firm determination to carry out my mandate that the people of Lisbon has entrusted to me and carrying out my electoral programme.”
So far José Sá Fernandes is to take the position of Câmara Officer for Green Spaces.
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