Braga. 6 candidates in the race to succeed Ricardo Rio

The race for Braga City Council already has six candidates announced, and it is certain that the municipality will be required to have a new mayor, due to the term limit law that prevents Ricardo Rio from running again.

João Rodrigues, a 37-year-old lawyer and councilor since 2017, is tasked with maintaining the municipal leadership of the Juntos por Braga coalition, comprised of the PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM. Free transportation for all residents is one of his campaign goals, along with the construction of Braga's outer ring road.

Rodrigues also promises to create a "real program" to build affordable housing for the middle class and plant 100,000 new trees in the municipality.

The PS, in turn, is betting on former Secretary of State for Communities António Braga to try to regain the Braga City Council, which it lost in 2013, after a 37-year “reign” by Mesquita Machado.

Former education inspector António Braga, 72, has retired from politics since 2012, when he lost the elections for the Braga municipal council, run by the Socialist Party. The Socialist candidate has already expressed his desire to create the Braga Metropolitan Area, which could be expanded to include the districts of Viana do Castelo and Vila Real.

António Braga has also said that, if there is still time, he may suspend the BRT (metrobus) project, as he believes it will further clog traffic, as it requires a dedicated lane.

Filipe Aguiar, a 54-year-old businessman who is the current president of the Braga council and vice-president of the district, will run for Chega.

The candidate highlights digital transparency as priorities for Braga, with residents having direct, real-time access to the government's expenses and revenues, and economic development, with the reduction of IMI (Improved Property Tax) and the creation of a technology hub in the municipality.

In the area of ​​security, it proposes the development of a permanent surveillance camera system. The Liberal Initiative (IL) chose its former leader Rui Rocha as number one in the race for Braga City Council.

Rui Rocha, 55, a member of the Assembly of the Republic, points out as one of his proposals the creation of a new Metropolitan Area of ​​Minho and transforming Braga into the “capital of the North”.

Mobility, particularly the light rail system, and the rail link between Barcelos, Braga, and Guimarães are other priorities, along with municipal efficiency, with the creation of a direct intervention team reporting to the mayor.

Also announced is the candidacy of the independent movement “Amar e servir Braga”, led by archaeologist Ricardo Silva, 44, who is serving his third consecutive term as president of the Parish Council of São Victor, in Braga.

In 2013 and 2017, he was elected on the ticket of a coalition led by the PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM, and in 2021, he ran as an independent. Ricardo Silva has already stated that "proximate governance" will be his hallmark.

Regarding mobility, which he sees as one of the city's main problems, the candidate argued that Braga needs the BRT [metrobus], but also other infrastructure based on the railway and good transport policies.

The CDU (PCP/PEV) chose João Baptista, a 52-year-old civil engineer and member of the Braga Municipal Assembly.

Pointing to housing and mobility as the municipality's main problems, the communist candidate advocates for strengthening Braga's Urban Transport fleet, building the Cávado bypass, defending a rail link between Braga and Guimarães, and creating a single regional intermodal pass.

Currently, Braga's executive branch is composed of six elected members from the PSD-led coalition, four from the PS, and one from the CDU. The Juntos por Braga coalition holds an absolute majority in the Municipal Assembly.

With an area of ​​183.40 square kilometers, the municipality of Braga has approximately 201,500 inhabitants and around 167,700 voters.

The local elections are scheduled for October 12th.