Rogério Bacalhau Takes the Helm at Águas do Algarve: What This Means for Faro

Major Leadership Change in Faro

Rogério Bacalhau, the current president of the Faro City Council, is set to transition to the leadership of Águas do Algarve, after accepting what he describes as an "interesting challenge." He will hand over the reins of the municipality to Paulo Santos, the current vice-president, who Bacalhau believes has all the necessary conditions to successfully complete the remainder of the current term.

The decision to appoint Bacalhau as the president of the Board of Directors of Águas do Algarve will be voted on during the shareholders' general assembly, scheduled for Monday, the 13th. Since Águas de Portugal, the majority shareholder of the public company in Algarve, proposed Bacalhau's name, his approval is virtually assured. The other shareholders include the 16 municipalities of Algarve, which Bacalhau does not anticipate opposing the decision.

In an interview with Sul Informação, Bacalhau explained that he decided to accept the invitation from Águas de Portugal and step down from the city council around nine months before the end of his third and final term. He believes his departure will not hinder the council's performance, stating, "I leave the 2025 Budget approved and the main decisions made. What is in progress will continue. My vice-president Paulo Santos has been with me since the first term and has been a councilor since 2002. He knows the place well. The rest of the team will also continue, so I believe all conditions are in place for everything to go as planned."

Bacalhau revealed that he initially declined an invitation but later accepted due to persistent requests. He explained, "With the departure of António Eusébio [the previous president] and the end of the current Board's term before summer, Águas de Portugal invited me. At the time, I did not accept, but more recently they invited me again, and I decided to accept."

This shift occurs in a year of local elections, where Bacalhau is ineligible to run for the council again due to the three consecutive term limit. He will succeed António Eusébio as president of Águas do Algarve, following Eusébio's departure during the summer after over three years in charge. In recent months, the leadership of the water supply and sanitation company has been temporarily assumed by Isabel Soares, the former mayor of Silves, who will also step down when Bacalhau's new administration begins.

With the president's departure, a vacancy opens in the executive, and the next individual on the list of the 2021 election coalition in Faro is Henrique Gomes, the current president of Ambifaro.