Santos council chief keeps debate open on two-term councillor rule | OneFootball

Santos’s Deliberative Council left its most contentious proposal unresolved, with the draft clause requiring two terms as councillor to stand for president still open to debate after Thursday’s meeting ended before the item was reached.

According to Globo.com, council president Fernando Akaoui said alternatives remain on the table, noting the commission first proposed three terms, then received amendments for two, one or none, and accepted the two-term option.

He said he could not predict the outcome, stressing that the 163 councillors who attended the first meeting will decide and that strong arguments could change minds.

Eligibility has become the flashpoint and sparked a protest outside Vila Belmiro on Thursday night, where supporters unfurled a banner questioning who benefits from tougher candidacy rules.

The current statute allows any member with 10 years of association to run for president, and critics say the proposed change would limit access for new leaders.

Voting is due to resume on Thursday at Vila Belmiro, with the expectation of finalising the text on Friday before putting the new statute to a members’ vote.

Amid tensions between some councillors and fans during the process, Akaoui urged calm and mutual respect, saying mismatched and skewed information has fuelled rivalry.

He rejected talk of an institutional coup, calling it a comprehensive rewrite to correct drafting flaws and update parts of the 105-article statute in line with Profut and the General Sports Law.

Source: Globo.com