In an interview with the Lusa bureau, deputy and leader Rui Rocha – who will contest the IL presidency next weekend with Carla Castro and José Cardoso – is highly critical of the PS and António Costa, accusing the PSD of “lack of appearance” in the opposition and reiterates, without wishing to engage in “any form of institutional guerrilla warfare”, the criticism expressed in the motion for intervention by the President of the Republic.
For the liberal party leader candidate, “a strong, robust and agile party is needed to fight the political battle”, because what “actually irritates Prime Minister António Costa” are the ideas, proposals and “ability to challenge and make” . intelligent opposition” of the IL.
“We want to lead the opposition, we want António Costa to remain very angry with the liberal initiative,” he says, although he considers that the prime minister’s way of referring to the liberals contributes to “worsening the political debate” . and “are not appropriate expressions” of a chief executive.
Given that the IL “is currently the only political force that actually presents a very different proposal for society and the economy”, Rui Rocha sees no underlying strategy “towards a government in implosion”.
“I see an effort to manage as best as possible, to manage internal crises. Actually, I don’t see a government anymore at the moment,” he shoots.
When asked what he sees then, the liberal is compelling: “Most of all, I see people living their lives. I see the internal struggles of the PS, the internal agendas of the PS that destroy every vision for the country and every ability of governance”.
For Rui Rocha, IL leads the opposition, first of all because of the “non-appearance” of the PSD, which “already assumed that the opposition will not appear in the year 2023” and that it will “prepare for 2024”.
“What I hope is that at some point the PSD will also be able to do its homework, as the Liberal Initiative certainly will,” he challenges and assures that the IL will continue on its way without “going to the side.” to look”. or back”.
When asked about the criticism left in the strategy motion to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa — he is “compliant in the degradation of democratic institutions” — the IL presidential candidate makes it clear that he “does not want to participate in any kind of institutional guerrilla war” with the Presidency of the Republic.
Despite the appearance that “there is now an evolution of the position”, for Rui Rocha, over the years the President of the Republic has had “an interference in the political debate that did not help to give credibility to the institutions” because ” he intervened when he should not have” and spoke out on issues that “place little value on the presidential office itself.”
“And on the other hand, in some circumstances, perhaps he should have done, not in public, I’m not talking about public interventions, but with his magisterium of influence, he should have drawn some lines to the Prime Minister that had not may be crossed”, criticize.
Since the head of state is “a very important player in the political scene”, Rui Rocha understands that “the strategy motion should be clear” because it is important that “members know the views of the candidate president of the party regarding not only the internal part, but also for everything that is the political scenario”.
Source: DN
