Canas de Senhorim
Encyclopedia
Canas de Senhorim is a town and civil parish located in the municipality
of Nelas
, Portugal
. Canas de Senhorim would be unknown to the majority of the Portuguese
if not for its continuous fight to become a separate municipality. The town had already been a municipality of its own until 1852 when it was extinct and annexed by the municipality of Nelas. Since then the people of Canas de Senhorim have been calling for the restoration of their municipality, a movement which faces prompt opposition from Nelas politicians. Citizens of Canas de Senhorim have protested through election boycott
, disruption of the railway service that crosses the town, and even demonstrations
in Lisbon
. Canas de Senhorim almost saw its municipality restored when the Portuguese parliament approved so on July 3, 2003. However, Portugal's president Jorge Sampaio controversially vetoed the decree a month later, provoking general outrage in Canas de Senhorim.
Municipalities of Portugal
In Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...
of Nelas
Nelas
Nelas is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 125.7 km² and a total population of 14,504 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 9 parishes and is located in the district of Viseu....
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Canas de Senhorim would be unknown to the majority of the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
if not for its continuous fight to become a separate municipality. The town had already been a municipality of its own until 1852 when it was extinct and annexed by the municipality of Nelas. Since then the people of Canas de Senhorim have been calling for the restoration of their municipality, a movement which faces prompt opposition from Nelas politicians. Citizens of Canas de Senhorim have protested through election boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
, disruption of the railway service that crosses the town, and even demonstrations
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. Canas de Senhorim almost saw its municipality restored when the Portuguese parliament approved so on July 3, 2003. However, Portugal's president Jorge Sampaio controversially vetoed the decree a month later, provoking general outrage in Canas de Senhorim.