Between absence and reconciliation, the President of the CDS, Nuno Melo, today brings together historical leaders of the party in a programmatic convention aimed at preparing the Christian Democrats for the future. On the horizon are the European elections next year, and the Madeira elections, scheduled for September 24, the results of which will determine or deter the CDS’s return to parliament in 2026.
There are two elements that this meeting convenes and that distinguishes it from other CDS meetings: the joint appearance of the former Christian Democratic presidents Assunção Cristas, Paulo Portas and Manuel Monteiro, which has not been free from conflict and division in the past, and the presentation of the party’s Declaration of Principles, which is announced by Nuno Melo as a ‘political declaration’ that shows a CDS ‘founder of democracy, old, experienced in many governments’ and prepared for ‘the challenges of the 21st century’.
Despite his efforts, Nuno Melo failed to bring together all the former centrist leaders still alive. Former President Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos and former leader José Ribeiro e Castro will not join the centrist delegation, citing personal reasons for doing so. In previous statements to DN, Nuno Melo had ruled out any political interpretation of these absences.
Ports vs Monteiro
Among those present, the very fact that they are together is a sign of efforts to unite the CDS. Paulo Portas and Manuel Monteiro were comrades in arms within the party in the past, but stood side by side for years. Only last year, when Nuno Melo became leader of the CDS, they both appeared at the congress that elected him to express their support, despite not crossing paths as they had gone at different times.
In June this year, Portas and Monteiro will have buried the ax of war, during a lunch conference at IDL – Instituto Amaro da Costa, chaired by Monteiro. Portas was invited to talk about globalization and Nuno Melo emerged as a connecting element. “People stand out in difficult times. In a party of cadres, the sign of hope regarding the future of the CDS could not be more expressive,” Nuno Melo wrote that day on the social network X (formerly Twitter), where he published photos of the meeting.
The same idea would be confirmed by Monteiro, who stated this in statements to Lusa at the time “what lies behind lies behind, the future is built by looking forward and not back, everyone has a past they cannot deny”. Now they are back together.
The challenges of the 21st century
This is level zero for a possible return of the CDS to parliament, following the results of the January 2022 parliamentary elections, which, for the first time in Portuguese democracy, removed all centrist deputies from the seats of São Bento. For the time being, Melo is betting on a renewal of the Declaration of Principles, which was presented at the convention today. The Christian Democratic leader then promises to travel around the country to show the document to the CDS structures.
The statement was prepared by a team led by António Lobo Xavier. The former deputy deviated from the original 1974 statement to adapt the party’s message to a more challenging current situation, with the CDS represented in local authorities, regional governments and in the European Parliament, and absent from the meeting room.
To DN, Nuno Melo emphasizes “the clear confirmation of the CDS as the party of the centre-right and democratic right in Portugal”, which is based on “the commitment to the values of Christian Democracy, open to liberals and conservatives”, as a central element in the updated declaration of principles. Moreover, in a current situation marked by the war in Ukraine, the centrist leader says that the CDS reaffirms its “commitment to the European Union, NATO, CPLP and Lusofonia.”
Openness to tolerance
One of the changes most noticeable in the document is the fight against discrimination. “Throughout its history, the CDS has always been a haven of moderation and tolerance, and its ideas are aimed at everyone, without distinction based on origin, faith or personal orientations,” said the Declaration of Principles, which the DN had access to, without focusing on sexual orientation.
The party “is an opponent of aggressive, violent or exclusionary language, of language that incites hatred and spreads lies, and of a lack of precision in political struggle”the document continues and adds “the CDS therefore rejects all populism, both left and right, with a distinctly domestic character or international inspiration, as instruments for an attack on democracy, political manipulation, radicalization and excessive conflict”.
Source: DN
