Mariana Mortágua, coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda, stated on Friday that the investigation into the hydrogen, lithium and Sines data center activities, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister António Costa, “must be the subject of public clarification by the judiciary. “
“BE does not ignore or devalue the known facts. There is a lot to investigate, but the message we leave behind is simple: this is not left-wing,” Mariana Mortágua said of the “Influencer” operation at a press conference at the party. headquarters in Lisbon, a day after the President of the Republic decided to dissolve Parliament and schedule early parliamentary elections on March 10, following the resignation of António Costa.
Repeatedly agreeing with this decision of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, because “any other option would entail great risks of political degradation and paralysis”, the BE leader expressed “strong concern” about the “disclosure of news revealing elements of ongoing investigations”.
According to the BE coordinator, “there is a reliable left in Portugal, which has always fought against corruption and against promiscuity between politics and business”.
“And the Portuguese are aware of BE’s determination” in fighting corruption and “promiscuity” between politics and business, the bloc leader said, highlighting the party’s action on hydrogen and lithium exploration.
BE coordinator Mariana Mortágua stated that in recent years the party had been “monitoring the actions of these actors,” referring to the “Influencer” operation.
“We have denounced the major lithium or hydrogen projects that were imposed as fait accompli, based on negotiations between economic groups and the government with key players with a poor track record in protecting the public interest,” he said, adding he gave the party’s latest legislation as an example. in the previous term “it was actually intended to limit these explorations”.
Mariana Mortágua, for example, recalled that in 2016 BE criticized the government’s hiring of adviser Lacerda Machado and that in 2018 the party called for the resignation of APA’s president due to “complacency towards private interests”.
“In a country ashamed of what it sees, our word is hope. BE is ready to present an alternative and respond with urgent solutions for what really matters,” he said, referring to the need to increase salaries and pensions, the housing and health crisis and the problems in education.
“We don’t want a fake country based on tourism and customer networks. Only our strength can stop the favor companies, from TAP to Efacec, from real estate to misuse of profits in banks and supermarkets,” he continued.
The Left Bloc wants to “turn the page on this crisis that has degraded the country, regain the trust and responsibility that this government has buried in cases that have destroyed its credibility, and prevent the right from turning the mud into a swamp.”
The BE coordinator announced that the party has scheduled a national executive meeting for the 19th, where it will establish a BE calendar for the next elections.
“In December we will meet with BE’s management to approve the first candidacies and in January we will have a political program,” he said.
Raimundo says strengthening the CDU is the “only guarantee” to solve people’s problems
The PCP Secretary General defended that strengthening the CDU is the “only guarantee” to “open the way” to solving the people’s problems, criticizing the PS’s recent policies and refusing to comment on leadership change.
In a statement at the PCP’s national headquarters in Lisbon, the day after the President of the Republic scheduled early parliamentary elections for March 10, Paulo Raimundo argued that “the more strength the PCP and the CDU have, the closer and better possible the advance will be. living conditions, the attainment of rights”.
“This is what is being decided: to turn the next elections into an opportunity to give more strength to the PCP and the CDU. An opportunity to break with right-wing politics and pave the way for policies capable of providing solutions to the serious problems affecting the country,” he insisted.
For the PCP leader, the past years show that, “in addition to the left-wing proclamations with which the PS government decorated itself,” the truth is that not only was it “not an obstacle to right-wing politics, but it was also the protagonist in it used to be.” “.
“Moreover, the PS not only did not oppose the reactionary forces, but also encouraged and emboldened its agenda and objectives,” he argued, considering that the absolute socialist majority “put itself at the service of economic groups” and converged. with the positions of PSD, CDS, Chega and IL.
Asked whether, if Pedro Nuno Santos takes over the leadership of the PS, the PCP will concede a new “apparatus”, Paulo Raimundo reiterated that the “only guarantee” to respond to the people’s problems is to strengthen the PCP and the CDU is.
“Strengthening the PCP and the CDU at the electoral level is the decisive issue and with this strengthening we will have, we will open this path to respond to the people’s problems,” he said.
Faced with the insistence of journalists, Paulo Raimundo emphasized that recent years have shown that “when the PCP and the CDU grow, it has positive consequences for people’s lives.”
“There is one thing that is clear and you know it from our daily experience: whatever the circumstances, the PCP never failed to do something positive and always opposed anything negative regardless of the circumstances,” he noted .
Asked whether a possible election of Pedro Nuno Santos as general secretary of the PS could bring the Socialists closer to the PCP, as they represent a more left-wing political trend, Paulo Raimundo stressed that his party “will not make any statement or consideration ”. in the middle of the clean-up phase.” from the PS house”.
“We don’t like people interfering in our internal affairs, nor do we want to interfere in the internal affairs of others,” he said.
However, the communist leader emphasized that all “possible divergent trends” exist [do PS] support this absolute majority with the choices they have made,” showing that people “can be very important, but the fundamental issues are not people, they are political choices.”
“That is the decisive issue, that is what determines it. It has been proven for several years and it is not worth thinking that it will again be possible to reset the counter,” he emphasized.
Paulo Raimundo emphasized that “what is decisive are the political options and the recent political options are clearly visible.”
PCP “completely” rejects Lacerda Machado’s influence
The PCP Secretary General “completely” rejected any influence from lawyer Lacerda Machado, who was detained for questioning under Operation Influencer, considering it a “completely unreasonable” insinuation.
Visão magazine reported on Thursday that the Public Prosecutor’s Office believes that Diogo Lacerda Machado – one of those detained for questioning under Operation Influencer – “exercised influence” with the PCP to unblock the situation in the Sines Municipal Council with with a view to the construction of the Start Campus data center.
“We completely reject these insinuations, it is impossible. Of course, whoever makes these statements will have to justify them,” said Paulo Raimundo.
The Communist General Secretary opined that the insinuation was “completely unreasonable”, taking into account that the PCP has “one councilor out of seven in Sines”.
“That is why the PCP has a very great ability to influence, it has an extraordinary ability to intervene, but in addition to completely rejecting these insinuations, it is even a bit contradictory: we are talking about a situation in Sines where we a councilor in seven,” he reinforced.
When asked whether the PCP had already received a request for clarification from the Public Prosecution Service, Paulo Raimundo replied: “No, no.”
“It’s like I said: there is no point, no basis, but we will be here no matter what happens,” he stressed.
Paulo Raimundo opined that it is not up to him to “impose deadlines” and emphasized that “the deadlines of justice are the deadlines of justice,” after being asked if he believes that justice should be the case involving the Prime Minister must be clarified before the country leaves. for elections on March 10.
“But there is one issue that is very clear to us: all cases are very important, but cases of this magnitude and severity should not only be resolved quickly, so as not to create a swamp situation, and whatever happens. It is possible to make a contribution within the legal period that is useful for everyone: for justice, for the political field and for society in general,” he said.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced in a communication to the country on Thursday evening the decision to dissolve parliament and schedule early parliamentary elections for March 10, following the resignation of the prime minister, as well as the postponement of the formal resignation process. of the government, by decree, to allow the approval and entry into force of the 2024 state budget (OE2024).
“I have chosen the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic and the scheduling of elections on March 10, 2024,” the head of state said in a message to the country from the Sala das Bicas of the Palácio de Belém in Lisbon.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that the parties were “clearly in favor” of this decision, while in the Council of State there was a “draw and therefore not in favor of dissolution – a situation that had in fact already occurred in the past with other heads of state “.
“I therefore did this by my own decision, in the exercise of a power conferred by the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic,” he stated.
The Prime Minister, António Costa, asked the President of the Republic to resign on Tuesday, who accepted.
António Costa is the target of an investigation by the Public Prosecution Service at the Supreme Court after suspects in a case related to matters surrounding lithium, green hydrogen and the Sines ‘data centre’ invoked his name for intervening to unblock proceedings .
According to the Attorney General, the investigation may relate to crimes, active and passive corruption of political office holders and influence peddling.
On the day of his dismissal, António Costa refused to commit “any illegal or offensive act” and expressed his full willingness to cooperate with justice.
Source: DN
