The Municipal Council of Vidigueira, in the district of Beja, decreed two days of municipal mourning, today and Thursday, due to the death of former mayor Arlindo Maria Ruivo, 86 years old. The municipal flag will be flown at half-mast during this period of mourning.
Arlindo Ruivo was born on July 7, 1940, in the parish of Alvega, in the municipality of Abrantes, and graduated from the School of Primary Teaching in Castelo Branco. He began his teaching career in 1961, at the Primary School of Vila de Frades, in the municipality of Vidigueira, and later worked as a teacher in the municipal seat. Between 1972 and 1974, he served as President of the Municipal Council of Vidigueira.
In addition to his political activity, Arlindo Ruivo was a businessman and a reference figure in the Alentejo region, having dedicated much of his life to the promotion of Alentejo wine production. He was an active member of the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito, where he held the positions of chairman of the board and chairman of the general assembly on several occasions, and held prominent roles in the Associação Técnica dos Viticultores do Alentejo (ATEVA), of which he was chairman of the board between 1995 and 2018.
He also served on the General Council of the Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana (CVRA) since 1996, chairing it between 2014 and 2015. In 1995, he was inducted into the Confraria dos Enófilos do Alentejo, with which he collaborated on various initiatives related to the history and culture of Talha Wine. The funeral is scheduled for 17:00 on Thursday at the Mortuary House of Vila de Frades, followed by burial at the parish cemetery. The Vila de Frades Parish Council also lamented his passing, noting that although he was not native to the area, Arlindo Ruivo soon felt this territory as his own.
