Pedro Nuno Santos believes that the several cases that marked António Costa’s mandates do not undermine the confidence of the Portuguese in the Socialist Party (PS).
“The end of this government is not for economic or social reasons or because people are unhappy. We have lowered unemployment and reduced the national debt. Costa’s legacy is very important for the country and the polls that put PS above PSD show that the Portuguese still trust the PS,” the candidate for PS leadership said in an interview with TVI.
Yet the former Minister of Infrastructure speaks of ‘lessons’ and ‘learning’. “We have improved our oversight of who governs. Every event should serve as a lesson and the learning is constant, but not overlapping with António Costa’s legacy. We must not forget it.”he emphasized.
Ready to fight problems such as “low wages”, “public services” and the transformation of “our economy”, Pedro Nuno Santos praised the “success” of the device and does not close the door to a reissue of this government solution, now with Mariana Mortágua and Paulo Raimundo in the places of Catarina Martins and Jerónimo de Sousa.
“Instead of talking about the country’s problems, we always talk about alliance politics. The PS is focused on winning the elections. From there we will look for solutions to implement the Socialist Party’s program. The government’s solution was a success. ‘I don’t close doors. In 2015, António Costa knocked down walls. Until then, the PS was dependent on the right or an absolute majority to govern’, recalled the former minister, who says that “Chega is not a problem for the PS”. “The PSD has signed an agreement with Chega in the Azores and I have never seen the PSD leader criticize this agreement,”
Pedro Nuno Santos also opened the door to foreign investment… and national investment. “The country’s only challenge is not attracting foreign investments. I am a friend of investments. Foreign investments of course too. I come from a region [Aveiro] where very enterprising business people live. We need to appreciate more what is ours”he emphasized.
Regarding Operation Influencer, the candidate for the PS leadership expressed his concerns but did not want to distance himself from the matter. “I want to respect the presumption of innocence and the independence of the legal system. It is important that the judiciary completes the process quickly.”he initially stated.
Faced with the journalist’s insistence, Pedro Nuno Santos said that “we must maintain this iron discipline regarding the case” and “respect the time of justice.”
Source: DN
