The general secretary of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, defended at the opening of the Festa do Avante! that the party has the ability to position itself as an alternative, which it deemed “obligatory” and “urgent”. The communist leader’s statement of principles also included “fundamental, immediate objectives to be responded to”, such as “the general and significant increase in wages and pensions, concrete measures for housing, measures even from the point of view of tax reform, very popular lately “, without forgetting “the fixing and reduction of prices”.
Between words that evoke the struggle in the “years of the fascist dictatorship”, whether in the various exhibitions promoted by the PCP or even on the T-shirts of people who visit the Avante! Paulo Raimundo, who first led the party in the event marking the start of the political year, yesterday defended that “it is necessary to end the war.” [na Ucrânia] and it must end now”.
It’s not the first time you’ve said it. The call for peace has been a fundamental element in the speeches of the party’s top figures, be it former secretary-general Jerónimo de Sousa or parliamentary leader Paula Santos, even if the war has more than one side. “All efforts should be concentrated on the goal that serves the people, which is peace,” Raimundo insists, emphasizing that “the more time passes, the more people realize and realize that what is needed is to end the war. For more than 3,000 days I have been drawing attention to a conflict that began nine years ago.” “What is needed is that we stop inciting war,” he concludes.
Paulo Raimundo does not hide his feelings about the Festa do Avante!, which starts this year without the usual opening rally. “It is a place where I naturally feel very comfortable. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there’s a certain buzz,” the communist leader said after being questioned by journalists about the potential nervousness he might feel if he was there. the first time, the focus was on the party with which she, according to her confession, “has a loving relationship” and in which she developed “many duties” and “many responsibilities”. As for the lack of a demonstration, which was only an option, Paulo Raimundo prefers to draw attention to the two groups of drums that roam the streets of the party to evoke people.
The First Avant! it took place in 1976, in the current Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, which was the Feira Internacional de Lisboa at the time. After all, this would be the 47th edition of the communist party in Portugal, but it’s not quite like that. At the party, people associated with the party remember that there was a hiatus in 1987, which corresponds to the transitional period between Alto da Ajuda and Infantado, two of the places where Avante! In 1990, however, the problems related to the space where the Festa do Avante! they were remedied with the acquisition of Quinta da Atalaia, in Seixal, where the communist event continues to this day.
Yesterday, Paulo Raimundo remembered the “ordinary” and those who “returned to the Festa do Avante! after they stopped coming for some reason”. From the perspective of the communist leader “many thousands who have nothing to do with the PCP”, but “feel good, at home, welcome, come looking for this space of brotherhood, solidarity, this space of peace, sport, culture, music, this space connected to the people, of debate, construction” and “confidence to face the great challenges that await us”.
The communist leader, who was elected less than a year ago, succeeded Jerónimo de Sousa. In his first statement at Festa do Avante! urges Raimundo to qualify the PCP event as a people’s party, culture being the main argument. But the popular party does not hide the party’s mission. In this regard, Paulo Raimundo also sent a message to the government in the form of demands. Recalling the times of the pandemic and without specifying a deadline, Paulo Raimundo calls for new moratoriums on home loans, in view of the interest rate hike declared by the European Central Banks that has punished families who have seen their house payments to rise. In addition, the PCP also believes that instead of sending a letter to Brussels to complain about the presidential veto of the Mais Habitação program, the Prime Minister, António Costa, should have set a maximum cap of 0.25% on the spread (profit of the banks). margin on home loans). On housing, the PCP secretary-general recalled a recent proposal by the party, which would impose a cap of 0.43% on rent increases, so as not to penalize those most affected by price increases .
Given the indications of availability for candidacies for the presidency of the Republic, put forward early this week by former PSD president Luís Marques Mendes and by former prime minister Predo Santana Lopes, the PCP leader believed it was all a waste of time . shifting the focus to things he considers more important, such as the increase in wages and pensions.
Source: DN
