Political Shakeup in Cascais: PSD and PS Form Unprecedented Coalition Government Until 2029

In a surprising political development, the PSD and PS have reached a governance agreement to jointly lead the municipality of Cascais until the end of the mandate in 2029. This comes after the PSD won the elections without achieving an absolute majority, forcing them to seek coalition partners.

Nuno Piteira Lopes, the president of the municipality, has assigned several key departments to the two PS councilors elected - João Ruivo and Alexandra Domingos. This strategic move creates a governing majority of 7 councilors (5 from PSD and 2 from PS), ensuring the ability to approve municipal budgets and make all decisions over the next four years. This arrangement makes independent candidate João Maria Jonet the new opposition leader in Cascais.

Key Department Assignments

João Ruivo, the PS's lead candidate in the elections, will oversee:

• Economic Development and Promotion
• Economic Activity Licensing

He will be responsible for the crucial Division of Economic Licensing, a significant organic unit within the municipal structure.

Alexandra Domingos, the PS's number two candidate, will manage:

• Resource Acquisition
• Co-funded Projects and Community Funds
• Employment and Smart Cities Strategy

She will lead the Municipal Directorate of Resource Acquisition and all dependent organic units, excluding the Department of Transparency and Quality.

The official dispatch from Nuno Piteira Lopes (53/2025), accessed by Observador, explains that the distribution of departments and municipal organic units was carried out with the goal of "optimizing municipal management."

PS Justifies Agreement Based on "Responsible Reading of Electoral Results"

The Socialist Party, in an official statement, emphasized that they signed a "political agreement that guarantees governmental stability for the municipality of Cascais for the 2025-2029 term." The understanding, according to the PS, "results from a responsible reading of the October 12th electoral results, which clearly expressed the will of Cascais residents to assign the presidency of the Municipal Council to the Viva Cascais Coalition (PSD/CDS-PP), but also the desire for a new cycle of greater balance and political cooperation."

The PS states they assume the agreement with "a sense of democratic responsibility, transparency, and commitment to the values they represent: social justice, sustainable development, civic participation, and proximity to people." For the socialists, this "solution translates into a commitment to the people of Cascais: to work together, with respect for differences and in defense of public interest, so that municipal decisions reflect plurality, transparency, and effectiveness in responding to the challenges of the municipality."

Nuno Piteira Lopes had previously admitted the possibility of assigning departments to the PS and rejected any type of agreement with independent candidate and former PSD member João Maria Jonet.