The judicial processes involving the PSD were the ‘brick in the shoe’ of Luís Montenegro’s first year as leader, but critical voices were occasionally passed only in the parliamentary bench.
If the news that Luís Montenegro was directly involved in — questions compliance with the declaratory obligations or tax benefits received by the PSD chairman in relation to the house he built in Espinho, where he said he complied with all the rules met — fAlthough punctual, the political consequences of the Vórtex and Tutti Frutti judicial operations continue to be felt in the party.
First, it was the trial of real estate projects and their associated licenses in Espinho’s Chamber that led to the constitution as defendant of Deputy Joaquim Pinto Pereira – then vice president of the PSD Bank and president of the constitutional review commission -, who led this congregation.
As he had publicly stated, Pinto Moreira suspended his mandate when he was appointed arguido at the end of March, but decided to resume it two months later, in a gesture in which the PSD leadership claims to be taken by surprise and denies any alignment.
ThereforeLuís Montenegro drew political confidence in the one who was one of his closest in the last internal campaigns for PSD leadership, saying that the deputy did not advance the views of the social democrats.
The deputy has taken part in plenary sittings, in the last row, and has recently resumed his seat on the standing parliamentary committees to which he belonged before the suspension – a position justified by the PSD on the grounds that all deputies have a seat in the commissions must occupy — , forcing Montenegro to reaffirm its lack of political confidence.
The Tutti Frutti operation, a seven-year-old judicial investigation, returned to political debate after a series of TVI/CNN reports raised suspicions of an alleged exchange of favors between the PS and PSD in the preparation of the lists for the 2017 municipal elections, to guarantee the preservation of certain parishes in Lisbon.
Following this case, Montenegro announced an “internal investigation” into the choice of municipal candidates in Lisbon in 2017, conducted by the National Jurisdiction Council, and proposals to be submitted by management to the Statutory Review Congress on November 25.
The leader of the PSD announced that he will propose to include “a code of ethics for party leaders and representatives” in the party’s bylaws.with associated sanctions, and that the militants can elect the chairman of the party without having paid the last two annual dues.
The case also created a number of ‘holes’ in the parliamentary bench – elected by Rui Rio’s former leadership – with Deputy Carlos Eduardo Reis (one of the names mentioned in the television reports) criticizing the fact that the issue discussion was held with the prime minister by the PSD parliament leader, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, in which he was supported by several deputies.
More recently, some differences of opinion also emerged in the parliamentary group, with several explanations of votes favoring the management’s designation of a favorable vote on Chega’s and IL’s proposals to set up a committee of inquiry into the intelligence services (which had ‘guaranteed a head start’ by PS).
Also in the vote on the motion of censure of the government by the IL – in which the PSD abstained – there were conflicting explanations of votes from former PSD vice-chairman André Coelho Lima and Carlos Eduardo Reis.
At the last board meetinga, the PSD parliament leader felt the need to “enlighten the deputies”, in light of news published in recent weeks about his possible early departure, and ensure that he does not intend to go to the European Parliament and intends to serve until July next year, with Montenegro repeating in Expresso weekly “maximum confidence” in Miranda Sarmento.
Source: DN
