Francisco Pimentel nominated as president of Portugal's UGT

Portugal's Socialist‑leaning union group Trabalhadores Social‑Democratas (TSD) has put forward deputy Francisco Pimentel, a PSD MP and head of the transport union SINTAP, as its sole candidate to succeed Lucinda Dâmaso as president of the Union Geral de Trabalhadores (UGT). The nomination was confirmed by TSD president Pedro Roque, who said the candidacy period ended last week and no other names were submitted. An internal meeting of the UGT secretariat is scheduled for Thursday, followed by a special council session to set delegate numbers, before the congress that will formally elect the president and secretary‑general on 10‑11 October in Figueira da Foz. While some sources say Pimentel has worked to preserve UGT unity, others warn the vote could be contentious because he supported the government’s labour‑law reform. The final election will determine the union’s leadership for the coming term.