The candidate for the post of PS secretary general, Pedro Nuno Santos, said on Friday that he was confident in the outcome of the party’s internal elections and that he wanted to “close this internal chapter” to focus on mobilizing of the country.
“Very confidently, anyone who has followed this campaign can understand the great mobilization that we have been able to carry out these weeks, and that is very good. We had to mobilize the party so that we could then mobilize the country and I think at least, the party did it,” he stated.
Pedro Nuno Santos, who exercised his right to vote in São João da Madeira, the municipality where he comes from, stated that he also “felt the desire to close this internal chapter” to start a dialogue with the Portuguese and help the country to mobilize for the legislature. elections on March 10, 2024.
“We can do in the country what we did in the party: mobilize the country for a project that can reconcile social progress with economic progress,” he declared.
Asked whether, if he wins the internal elections, he would want the PS general secretary and prime minister at his side, Pedro Nuno Santos stressed that António Costa is “a great reference” and that the party is “very proud of him is”. .
“These were very important years for us, for the country and for the PS. We are very proud of the results and now we want to give new impetus. That is our main goal to be able to build a whole Portugal, that is the motto of our candidacy,” he said.
The former Infrastructure Minister said he is “very proud of the legacy of the PS” and assured that the Socialist Party will “continue the positive results and solve the problems that still exist” in the country.
Turning to his opponent in the race for the socialist leadership, José Luís Carneiro, Pedro Nuno Santos stated that the PS, unlike other parties, “has always been able to unite and unite,” and that it will count on the current Minister of the Interior. if it wins the internal elections.
On the other hand, when asked whether he would be willing to join a possible government led by José Luís Carneiro, Pedro Nuno Santos replied that regardless of his position, the PS will always count on him.
“The Socialist Party will always count on me in whatever capacity, it has always been that way since I joined JS [Juventude Socialista] at 14 years old it will always be like this while I am here,” he assured, but said that his “great desire” is to win the internal elections.
Also, when asked about the reasons that led him to run for office, given the current political situation, Pedro Nuno Santos assured that they are mainly related to the “many problems” of the country.
“What motivates us is to fight so that the Portuguese people can live a better life in Portugal,” he said, adding that he is “an honest politician.”
Between today and Saturday, some 60,000 socialist activists will elect António Costa’s successor as secretary general of the PS, a position for which José Luís Carneiro, Pedro Nuno Santos and Daniel Adrião applied.
The election process in the PS opened with the resignation of António Costa from his post as Prime Minister on November 7, after it was made public that he was the target of a judicial investigation opened by the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Supreme Court of Justice. , within the scope of Operation Influencer.
In addition to the new party leader, the Socialists will elect 1,400 deputies (to which 1,100 deputies will inherently be added) to the National Congress, which will meet between January 5 and 7 at the Lisbon International Fair.
Source: DN
