Rui Cristina, president of Albufeira City Council
A company owned by a Chega supporter involved in Rui Cristina’s electoral campaign obtained 239 thousand euros in contracts through direct agreement with the Albufeira City Council and the Albufeira and Olhos de Água Parish Council.
The management of the municipal executive of Albufeira, led by Rui Cristinais under scrutiny due to a series of hirings and appointments involving people linked to Chega and the party’s local political structure.
At the center of the controversy is the organization of the “Albufeira Radical” festivalheld between April 2nd and 4th, 2026 at Praia dos Pescadores. The event succeeded the old “Reservatório Sea Fest”, which was already held annually, but started to be organized by the company Palmas aos Palcos after the new municipal executive took office.
The company, owned by Jorge Costawho worked on Rui Cristina’s municipal campaign in the production of multimedia content, received a set of public awards related to the festival, which totaled around 239 thousand euros.
The main contract was carried out by the city council through a direct adjustment of 157 thousand euros for purchasing the event. The contract was signed only on the eve of the festival and was not written down, with the municipality invoking the emergency regime provided for by law, according to the .
In addition to the municipal award, the Parish Council of Albufeira and Olhos de Água, also chaired by an elected member of Chega, celebrated three additional direct adjustments with the same company for a total value of more than 80 thousand euros. The president of the council, Cláudio Marujo, justified the separation of contracts with the need to acquire different goods and services.
Criticism of the executive’s management also extends to the appointments made since taking office. In May, the city hall hired Paulo Freitas for advisory roles legal and administrative, through a one-year contract valued at R$24 thousand. Freitas was part of the Chega ticket in the last local elections and was previously a local leader of the PSD.
Other members or candidates linked to the party were also chosen for leadership positions in the municipal structure. Among them are Hugo Aires, municipal deputy for Chega, and Andreia Cópio, the party’s candidate for the chamber. The most publicized case, however, involved the appointment of Sara Cristinasister of the president of the municipality, as deputy. Some of these appointments were the subject of participation with the Public Ministry.
