When Luís Montenegro was questioned by journalists in Fátima (Santarém) about the continuation of João Galamba in the executive power led by the socialist António Costa, Luís Montenegro began to explain that the party had already said what it thought about the implementation of the duties of this member of the government ‘a long time’. some time ago.”
“I don’t think this is a major concern for the Portuguese today. The Portuguese no longer have respect for the government, nor for the exercise of specific functions by some of its members,” he declared on the sidelines of the meeting of the National Strategic Council Coordinators.
Previously, the PSD leader stressed that the country “needs a new government, that it must open a cycle of development, a cycle of hope and ambition,” adding that “this is leading the country to an alternative party, namely the Socialist Democratic Party,” so he must “live up to this responsibility.”
By ensuring that the PSD has a qualified team, made up of “people from different sectors, with different qualifications, who are not limited to the PSD staff”, the Social Democrat added that the party has attracted “qualified people who are not have the PSD’. a party preference”, to point out that, “while others are more interested in issues of a cyclical nature”, he aims to “give Portugal a new path, a new hope, a new majority and a new government”.
According to Luís Montenegro, this will attract the attention of the party and “work until the last day of the election campaign”, to achieve the desired result, namely “the confidence of the majority of the Portuguese people, conditions for governability, stability of the government “.
When asked which of the two already known candidates to succeed António Costa as secretary general of the PS – José Luís Carneiro and Pedro Nuno Santos – he would most like to meet, the PSD president replied that his preference is to ‘to give the Portuguese a chance’. program of hope and development and this is certainly on the side of the PSD”.
The Minister of Infrastructure, João Galamba, guaranteed in parliament on Friday that he will not resign after he was accused in the trial surrounding doing business with lithium and hydrogen.
‘No, I don’t plan to [apresentar a demissão]”, said João Galamba, who spoke during a joint parliamentary hearing between the Committee on Budget and Finance and the Committee on Economy, Public Works, Planning and Housing, as part of the review of the 2024 state budget (OE2024).
The Prime Minister, António Costa, will meet the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on Tuesday about the situation in the government of the Minister of Infrastructure, an executive source told Lusa today.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister had already stated upon entering the meeting of the PS National Political Committee in Lisbon that he would speak to the Head of State about the situation of the Minister of Infrastructure in the government.
Portugal will hold snap parliamentary elections on March 10, 2024, scheduled by the president of the republic, following the Prime Minister’s resignation on Tuesday.
António Costa is the target of an investigation by the Public Prosecution Service (MP) at the Supreme Court, after suspects in a case related to business dealings with lithium, green hydrogen and a data center in Sines invoked his name as having intervened to prevent the blocking unblocking procedures.
The MP believes that the Prime Minister intervened in the approval of a diploma that is favorable to the interests of the company Start Campus, responsible for the data center, according to the indictment, which contains several other references to António Costa.
On the day of his dismissal, Costa refused to commit “any unlawful or offensive act.”
Source: DN
