What do Algarve candidates plan for foreign citizens?

Since July 2025, The Portugal News has been interviewing not only mayors who run again for the same position, but also candidates from various municipalities across the Algarve. Every candidate wants to give the citizens of their municipalities the best conditions possible, focusing on topics including housing, health and education.

The local elections will take place on 12 October, and foreign citizens are allowed to vote and choose the mayor of the municipality where they are resident. The integration of foreign citizens is also one of the priorities of every candidate that The Portugal News has had the opportunity to interview.

The Portugal News contacted mayors and candidates from the various political parties and municipalities, although, for various reasons, it was impossible to reach all the candidates before the electoral campaign.

Municipality of Lagoa

Luís Encarnação (PS), currently mayor of Lagoa, who has held the position since 2019, is running to be the mayor of the municipality once again. Luís Encarnação said that the foreign community living in the municipality can be divided into three different realities: workers, those who choose Lagoa to retire to and those who are looking to start a business. During his interview, Luís Encarnação highlighted how foreigners are naturally integrated into the municipality and how important they are for the local elections.

Municipality of Vila do Bispo

Rute Silva (PS) supports her candidature across three main pillars: health, housing and education, which the current mayor thinks is what the population is looking for. Rute Silva wants to work on all of these pillars if elected once again. In a municipality where 44% of the residents are foreign citizens, Rute Silva aims to hand over manifestos in English and not only call for foreigners to vote in the local elections, but also to integrate those citizens in the electoral lists.

Municipality of Loulé

Heldér Martins is one of the candidates for the Loulé city council, leading the coalition between PSD, CDS-PP and IL. With a long experience in the political field, he is confident that he will be able to disrupt the 12 year mandate of PS in the municipality. Regarding the foreign population, Hélder Martins believes that the integration of foreign citizens is very positive for Loulé, not only because of the cultural exchange promoted by the presence of people from other countries, but also because of the investments they can make in Loulé.

Fernando Santos, also known as Fanan, is the Chega candidate running to be the mayor of Loulé. Regardless of the background of foreign citizens, Fernando Santos believes that all foreigners must be integrated in the municipality. To The Portugal News, he highlighted that immigrants must receive the attention they deserve, aiming for their integration in Loulé. Fernando Santos also believes that the PS presence in the city hall did not benefit those who came to enjoy their retirement, or even digital nomads.

Municipality of Tavira

Ana Martins (PS) has been the mayor of Tavira since 2019 and is running again to be the mayor of the municipality. With 26% of foreigners residing in the municipality, Ana Martins believes that it is important to integrate foreigners in Tavira, especially those who want to bring their families to Tavira. She added that the municipality is promoting foreign integration with Portuguese classes, for example. There is also a cabinet (CLAIM) that provides foreigners, in various languages, with more information about Tavira.

Municipality of Faro

Cristovão Norte is leading a unique candidature for the presidency of Faro, in a coalition between PSD, CDS-PP, IL, PAN and MPT, combining right and left-wing parties. Ensuring the plurality of voices, Cristóvão Norte expressed to The Portugal News that Faro wants the foreign to come to the city, which has a long history with foreigners. He wants to make sure that everyone in Faro feels like they are part of the city; therefore, measures to strengthen their integration must be taken, whether in social or economic sectors.

Adriana Marques Silva (Livre) believes that Faro has been neglected, and is facing a shortage of affordable housing, poor mobility and even insufficient green spaces. Focusing on various pillars, the environment is a concern that will be applied to all the measures Silva wants to propose to the municipality. Regarding foreigners, the Livre candidate recognises their contribution to the municipality of Faro and wants to ensure oversight that ensures the working and living conditions of immigrants. In terms of culture, Adriana Marques Silva also wants to promote events that will please not only the locals, but also those who come from abroad and choose Faro to live in.

Municipality of Albufeira

Miguel Matias (IL) says that IL is running alone in the municipality of Albufeira due to a clear and coherent project for the municipality. Focusing on housing for young people, Miguel Matias also focuses his candidature on the citizens’ quality of life, namely regarding public transport, green spaces and efficient municipal services. For the foreign population, Miguel Matias wants to promote channels to enhance the communication between foreigners and local services, highlighting that foreigners must follow the rules of the municipality, since Miguel Matias will not turn his back on illegal situations.

Full interviews

The candidates mentioned were those who accepted to be interviewed by The Portugal News. Other candidates and mayors were contacted, but the interviews did not take place for various reasons. To read the full interviews, please visit theportugalnews.com.

Currently, the Deputy Editor at The Portugal News, Bruno G. Santos, is really interested in national politics. With a degree in Journalism and Communication, he also loves to write about different topics like Portuguese culture, society and other current affairs. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos