The new head of the RTA is João Fernandes, the RTA’s former vice-president, who was chosen through elections held last Friday afternoon.
He was elected by the RTA’s general assembly, which is made up of 32 members, including the mayors of all of the Algarve’s councils, a government representative, regional business associations and unions.
In the elections only 31 of the 32 members were able to vote, as the Association for Portuguese Casinos (APC) was unable to attend.
João Fernandes won with 17 votes against the 11 votes in favour of his predecessor, Desidério Silva, and there were three blank ballots.
“I salute my opponents for the serenity with which this act took place and for the good manners with which, at the end, everyone greeted each other. It’s a good sign that there is a lot of good work to be done in the future and that we can all be counted on”, he said.
Fernandes takes over from Desidério Silva in mid-August.