Rogério Bacalhau ‘won’t now be leaving post to become president of Águas do Algarve’
An unholy row has erupted following the news that Faro mayor Rogério Bacalhau will be going on trial for alleged planning violations.
The row centres on Mr Bacalhau’s constant flip-flapping over whether or not he will be staying on as mayor of Faro.
Last December, he announced he would be leaving his post in January to take up the position of president of Águas do Algarve – the public entity managing the region’s water supplies.
Then, he delayed his move until January 13; then until February 10 – and now, just a day after the news of his trial, he has announced he will not be going to Águas do Algarve until then end of his mayoral mandate.
The official reason was given as “bureaucratic obstacles”.
A brief statement addressed to Faro citizens yesterday made no mention of the trial facing him; nor the fact that public prosecutors are seeking to ensure that Mr Bacalhau is barred from holding public office in future, due to what they see as a “grave disregard for public service duties”.
PS/ Faro sees this whole episode as clear indication that the PSD leadership is in crisis, and “at the end of its cycle”. Indeed, these latest developments “add to a succession of indecisions and contradictions that demonstrate Rogério Bacalhau’s unwillingness to continue at the head of the city” – and as such, rather than maintaining his position (and no doubt healthy salary) to the bitter end (municipal elections come in the autumn), Faro’s main party in opposition think he should have the decency to go.
“His behaviour clearly demonstrates that he no longer wishes to be mayor, but only remains in place because he didn’t get the position he really wanted: the presidency of the board of Águas do Algarve. This reflects a total downgrading of the mandate for which he was elected and a profound disrespect for the city council and the people of Faro,” says the regional party in a statement.
“After sixteen years in power, the PSD has shown itself to be exhausted, without solutions and incapable of responding to the city’s needs. With a municipality adrift and a government characterised by inertia and abandonment, it is clear that Faro needs new energy because it is hungry for change,” the statement concludes.
The man keen to take up the mantle is already very well known in the region: António Pina, three-term PS mayor of Olhão and president of AMAL – Comunidade Intermunicipal do Algarve.
Local Portuguese media meantime have add that Mr Bacalhau and his co-defendant Sophie Matias have expressed “total serenity” and “confidence in justice” ahead of their trial. They both deny any wrongdoing.
