Of the five Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR), only in the Northern one are there two candidates contesting the leadership: António Cunha, who is running again as an independent in defiance of the PS and PSD, which agreed on the name Álvaro Santos. He rails against this political influence, arguing that “it should be the people ...
Only in the Northern CCDR is there competition: Independent António Cunha versus Álvaro Santos, Montenegro's pick
Sunday, 11 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
A Regional Coordination and Development Commission (Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional, or CCDR) is a regional body that coordinates central government policy locally, manages regional planning and environmental licensing, and oversees certain EU/cohesion funds; mainland Portugal has five CCDRs (North, Centre, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Alentejo, Algarve). School directors fear politically driven appointments to CCDRs could steer regional priorities and resource decisions — including education projects and local appointments — in ways that reflect party politics rather than technical criteria.
