President of the Republic, António José Seguro, begins today his first five-day Open Presidency in the Central region, starting in the districts of Castelo Branco and Santarém, to monitor the recovery of areas affected by bad weather.
The first day of the Head of State’s visit to the region begins with a visit to the municipality of Sertã, from where he will proceed to Oleiros, Proença-a-Nova and Vila de Rei.
In the late afternoon, President Seguro has an agenda in Tomar, Santarém district, at Casa dos Tectos – the venue hosting the Presidency of the Republic this week – where he will be received by the mayor, Tiago Carrão. A meeting with the telecommunications sector is also scheduled at the same location.
The last two items on today’s programme will be dedicated to the security forces, with the president visiting a PSP police station and a GNR post in Tomar.
Speaking to Lusa, an official source for the presidency explained that the initiative aims to allow President Seguro to “witness the impacts of the storms, listen to the populations and assess the response and recovery needs of the affected areas” – exactly as he has repeatedly said he wants to do.
The same source added that, throughout these five days, the president will be accompanied on the ground by members of the Government and that the usual weekly working meeting between António José Seguro and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, will take place in Tomar.
In the same city, meetings are also planned between the President Seguro and the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities and the National Association of Parishes.
The president’s trip continues on Tuesday, still within the district of Santarém, with visits to Ourém, Ferreira do Zêzere and Mação.
On Wednesday, President Seguro will be in Coimbra, with stops in Penela, Soure and Montemor-o-Velho.
This open Presidency concludes in the Leiria district (arguably the worst affected by the carousel of bad weather that battered the centre from the end of January to mid-February), with visits on Thursday, to Batalha, Pombal, Pedrógão Grande and Alvaiázere, and on Friday to the municipalities of Leiria and Marinha Grande.
The initiative will conclude in Marinha Grande with a meeting between the mayors of the four districts visited, the Central Region Coordination and Development Commission, and the Mission Structure for the Reconstruction of the Central Region of the Country.
Source: Lusa
