Guimarães Socialist Party accuses mayor of partisan appointments

The Socialist Party (PS) in Guimarães has accused Mayor Ricardo Araújo of appointing former PSD officials to technical leadership positions within the municipal administration without conducting public competitions.

The PS claims these appointments, made under a substitution regime, raise legal, institutional, and ethical concerns. Specifically, the party cited the nomination of André Sousa Casalta for the position of Municipal Director of Planning, Territorial Development, and Tourism, as well as the designation of Tiago Laranjeiro, a former JSD leader, as Director of the Department of Investment, Innovation, Economy, and Tourism.

The PS argues that the substitution mechanism is intended to be exceptional and transitory, and should not be used to bypass principles of transparency, merit, and equal opportunity in municipal recruitment.

In response, the Guimarães City Council stated that the organic restructuring of the municipality was carried out in strict observance of the law and under criteria of absolute transparency.