PS leadership candidate José Luís Carneiro guaranteed this Sunday that Chega will not be the one to gain “power in the country”, after being asked about the possibility of making a PSD minority government viable.
“What I can say is the following: it will not be my fault that Chega comes to power in our country,” the Minister of the Interior replied in an interview with TVI.
After António Costa’s resignation, he will also run for leadership of the Pedro Nuno Santos party, which is considered left-wing, alongside José Luís Carneiro, associated with the more moderate wing of the PS. the two candidacies and whether he has more capacity to dialogue with the right.
The minister began by highlighting “the most important feature from the point of view of affirming freedoms and affirming the quality of democratic life” of the PS, namely the socialists’ ability to “conduct a dialogue with the center-right, but also to conduct a dialogue with the left”, recalling that the party has demonstrated this at several points in its history.
José Luís Carneiro emphasized that his candidacy for the post of Secretary General of the PS is one that “guarantees this historic commitment of the PS, namely by enhancing the prestige of Portugal’s relationship with the European Union and with the Atlantic Alliance itself to confirm”.
“It is very important to answer the question that the Portuguese are asking today: how is it that in such a demanding international context, with two wars, one in Europe and the other in the Middle East, you can submit to the adoption of an alliance on the left, because the position of the parties to the left of the PS is known with regard to our tasks in the Atlantic Alliance [NATO] and the European Union?” he asked, referring to BE and PCP, former “apparatus” partners of the Socialists.
Carneiro also emphasized that Pedro Nuno Santos, in addition to his candidacy, will also represent “part of the legacy” of the current Socialist government, recalling that his “comrade” also generally supported the executive’s proposal for the state budget approved before 2024.
“This candidacy represents an autonomy that the PS cannot lose, because it is this autonomy that allows the PS to enter into dialogue not only with the center-right but also with the left,” he emphasized.
The direct elections to succeed António Costa in the PS are scheduled for December 15 and 16 – at the same time as the election of the deputies – and the congress is scheduled for January 6 and 7.
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.
Source: DN
