Statue of Maria da Fonte, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal
The process of elevating the village of Póvoa de Lanhoso to a city, triggered by the municipality, led by the socialist Frederico Castro, and which is already in the Assembly of the Republic, is not consensual and continues to generate political and social debate in the municipality.
The population of Póvoa de Lanhosoin the district of Braga, rejected the elevation of the town to city, in the public consultation launched by the parish council, which had more than 85% votes against the proposal presented by the chamber.
In a statement sent to the Lusa agency, the Parish Council of Póvoa de Lanhoso, led by Paulo Silva (PSDB), said that the public consultation, held between May 17th and this Saturday, had the participation of 882 citizens, of which 752 (85.3%) voted against the elevation of Póvoa de Lanhoso to city129 in favor (14.6%), with one null/blank vote.
Around 5,300 voters are registered in the Parish Council of Póvoa de Lanhoso.
The process of elevating the village of Póvoa de Lanhoso to city, triggered by the municipality, led by Frederico Castro (PS)and which is already in the Assembly of the Republic, is not consensual and continues to generate political and social debate in the municipality, given the divergent positions between the PS chamber and the Junta of Póvoa de Lanhoso Parish, led by the PSD.
However, the proposed territorial area for elevation to the category of city “corresponds exclusively to the territory of the Parish of Póvoa de Lanhoso, a circumstance that motivated this public consultation by the Parish Council, as a direct representative body of the population covered by the process”, notes the statement sent to Lusa.
The council said that in this way “it concluded the process of public consultation with the population in relation to the possible elevation of the village to a city, an initiative of a consultative nature that sought to directly involve citizens in terms of relevance for the future and affirmation of the territory”.
“The process recorded a expressive participation of the populationreflecting the community’s interest and civic involvement in this topic. The result of the consultation demonstrates a clear position of the participants regarding the eventual elevation of Póvoa de Lanhoso to a city. The vast majority of Povoenses who spoke out, rejected the elevation”, the statement reads.
“Following the conclusion of this consultation process, the Póvoa de Lanhoso Parish Council will meet to prepare the respective opinion, based on the results obtained in this public consultation, which will be sent to the State and Local Government Reform Commission within the scope of the assessment of Bill nº 241/XVII – Elevation of the town of Póvoa de Lanhoso to the category of city”, says the statement.
For the parish council, this process “represented a relevant moment of civic involvement, allowing the community to be called upon to speak directly on a decision of an identity nature and with an impact on the future vision of the territory”.
“The parish council will continue to work in defense of the interests of the population and in the valorization of Póvoa de Lanhoso, promoting initiatives that reinforce the identity, development and quality of life in the territory”, assumes this authority.
Frederico Castro highlights that the upgrading the village to a city was part of the program electoral campaign presented in the municipal elections of October 2025, in which he was re-elected.
In a previously released statement, the Póvoa de Lanhoso PS said it did not recognize “the alleged ‘public consultation’ promoted by the Junta of Parish of Nossa Senhora do Amparo” (Parish Council of Póvoa de Lanhoso) on the town’s elevation to city status.
“We are facing a serious process, without transparencywithout democratic guarantees and which raises serious doubts about legality. How and who monitors this act? How was the use of electoral rolls authorized?? Where are the opinions of the National Elections Commission? Who guarantees the transparency of the ballot box and the election”, asked the local socialists.
