The chairman of the CDS-PP and party member Nuno Melo today indicated that he will join the candidate lists for deputies in the coalition with the PSD and has postponed the announcement of candidates for the European elections until after the parliamentary elections.
“I have not made any invitations to any lists, with the possible exception of myself, as I will be a candidate in the parliamentary elections”the centrist leader stated in an interview with SIC Notícias, without specifying, however, which circle he will be a candidate for and where he will be on the list.
As for the candidates for the European elections in June, Nuno Melo has pointed this out “from the 11th” March, the day after the parliamentary elections, will “be able to say who the candidate will be.”
PSD and CDS-PP announced on Thursday that they will propose to the national bodies of their parties a pre-electoral coalition, the Democratic Alliance (AD), for the parliamentary elections in March and the European elections in June, which will also include “independent personalities” .
In this interview, the chairman of the CDS-PP stated that this is a ‘an agreement that is certainly good for the PSD and the CDS’but declined to provide more specific details, claiming that “the relationship between parties has rules” and that the coalition still needs to be ratified by the bodies of the two political forces.
“Much more than accounting, this is a national project”he emphasized, arguing that it is “stable, credible” and the “only alternative solution” for the PS.
One of the questions the MEP did not answer was how many names from the CDS-PP will have eligible seats. He said only that the party “will have more delegates as the coalition has more votes.”
Nuno Melo pointed out that the goal of the Democratic Alliance is “win the elections and be able to form a government”.
“It would be great if the PSD and CDS achieved an absolute majority. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll see soon” which could happen the day after the election, he added.
Nuno Melo emphasized that the president of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, “He was very clear and said that he will not make any agreements with Chega, that he will not be in government with Chega”but felt that the Liberal Initiative “could help” form a right-wing majority.
And he even said he did ‘It’s a shame that IL was not in this AD from the start’claiming that the “three parties together would have a greater chance” of securing more mandates and ultimately achieving an absolute majority by benefiting from votes in the allocation of seats in parliament on election day.
The chairman of the CDS-PP stated that this coalition “arrives at the possible and appropriate time” because “great political projects cannot be born on the basis of precipitation”, and reiterated that the CDS-PP was ready to go to the vote alone if this agreement was not reached beforehand.
Noting that AD “is a registered trademark” and “it is not dated, it is valid for the 20th century as it is for the 21st century”Melo argued that “it’s timely” and “makes sense for what’s at stake.”
Nuno Melo also said he will “apparently” campaign alongside PSD leader Luís Montenegro as the coalition “is not instrumental”, and said he hopes party figures, such as Paulo Portas, will also be involved.
Portugal will hold early parliamentary elections on March 10, 2024, scheduled by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, following the resignation of the Prime Minister, António Costa, on November 7, the target of an investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to the Supreme Court.
The election campaign for the parliamentary elections will take place between February 25 and March 8.
Source: DN
