List X, led by João Caetano, won the elections for the governing bodies of the Association of Licensed Optometry Professionals (APLO). The vote took place last Saturday, 9 November, with 607 members deciding the future of the association.

Let’s look at the numbers: the results of the vote for APLO’s Board of Directors, Supervisory Board, Disciplinary Board and CAAP gave victory to João Caetano’s List X, with a total of 372 votes (61.29 per cent). List A, led by Raúl Sousa, won 217 votes (35.75 per cent). In this election, there were 18 blank votes (2.97 per cent). The results of the vote for the Board of APLO’s General Assembly also gave victory to List X, with Rafaela Coelho at the ‘helm’, achieving 355 votes (58.48 per cent). List A, with Luísa Matias as its candidate for president, won 215 votes (35.42 per cent) in this election. In this case, there were 37 blank votes (6.1%).

In a statement, the elected team left a few words for all their colleagues. ‘Firstly, we would like to express our most sincere thanks to all APLO members for the trust they placed in our X list during the recent elections. Your support is a real privilege and a responsibility that we have taken on with great commitment and dedication. This victory is a clear sign of everyone’s desire to give a new impetus to our profession and our association. Together, we are taking a decisive step towards building an optometry that is more dynamic, more communicative, more innovative and more integrated into the health panorama in Portugal.’

They add that ‘the change that lies ahead will be a change with all of us, for all of us and by all of us. We are only at the beginning of this journey, but we can look to the future with confidence, knowing that we have colleagues at our side who are committed to the well-being and evolution of our profession. We are counting on each and every one of you so that, together, we can continue along this path and achieve our goals. Your support, now and always, will be our greatest strength in the quest for an optometry that is even stronger and more relevant to society. Thank you very much for believing in our team. We are together in this challenge!’

APLO’s new governing bodies will take office on 24 November at 7pm in an online general assembly.