PSD refuses to say no to Chega

Do you agree to negotiate a parliamentary or government agreement as proposed by André Ventura? The question addressed to Luís Montenegro remained unanswered.

Marques Mendes, current Councilor of State, is clear: “The ambiguous idea that the PSD, if it wins elections, can reach an agreement with Chega, will only benefit André Ventura’s party. On the right, it signals that voting for one party or another is irrelevant, extracting a usable vote from the PSD. In the middle, it prevents the PSD from winning over moderate voters. The PSD has an advantage by doing what IL did: “cut” with Chega.”

Jorge Moreira da Silva, candidate defeated by Luís Montenegro in the last PSD directors, in May 2022, is even more direct: with Chega “never, never, never”. “It violates our values ​​and principles. And there is no compromise.” And he continues: “I find the presence of the PSD at the Chega Convention regrettable. It is an unacceptable normalization of a racist, xenophobic, extremist party.”

Towards Luís Montenegro, from what DN found out, the issue of “clarifying the position” of the party is not “peaceful” [há quem como Paulo Rangel já tenha dito que “acordos com o Chega são uma linha vermelha inultrapassável”] and not everyone – and here the displeasure extends to some deputies and local leaders – was glad that Miguel Pinto Luz, one of the six vice-presidents, had not resigned after three days of “violently” attacking the PSD in the National Convention of Chega, the idea “created” by André Ventura that “the possibility is open to us to start creating such an alternative [um governo PSD/Chega] what the president of the republic asked for, in case the socialist government falls” – the scenario of early elections after the Europeans were admitted by Luís Montenegro in an interview with the newspaper Eco.

During the internal dispute over the presidency of the PSD, the former Secretary of State of Durão Barroso, former adviser to Cavaco Silva and former Minister of the Environment in the government of Passos Coelho said [frase agora sublinhada] don’t doubt that “as long as the PSD isn’t clear [recusando o Chega]we are reducing our electoral chances”.

Miguel Pinto Luz’s reply – who saw no “ambiguity” in what he said on Sunday – that “this is not the place, this is not the time to have this discussion”, did not make it clear that the PSD [mas devia, dizem as fontes ouvidas pelo DN] to Chega’s “demands” of having “four to six ministries”.

Not even, and this is another comment, was the comparison “happy” that “Chega plays the game of democracy a bit like the Bloco de Esquerda”, or said that Chega is “the Bloco de Esquerda of the right (.. . ), one who seeks discomfort, shouting, bitterness to gain more and more support”.

And why at this point does no one want to come forward and explain what he stands for? “Institutional respect” for the party leader.

The exception is João Moura, deputy, who says that the PSD “doesn’t have to say [se aceita acordos]neither to be determined or not to be determined [linhas vermelhas]. What the PSD needs to do at this point is present its proposals, say what matters.”

“Why should we anticipate pain?” he asks. And he replies: “It is a precipitate”.

The also leader of the district of Santarém, who was part of the social-democratic delegation that was at the Chega Convention, does not think that “it is entirely an ambiguity” not to take a clear position [dizer sim ou não a acordos de governo] because “cataloguing the political spectrum from left and right tells people nothing”. “People want problems solved. It doesn’t matter if it’s left or right,” he says.

The former deputy minister of Passos Coelho, Miguel Poiares Maduro, in 2020 took a clear departure from this thesis, defending that “the ambiguity [no caso, recusar dizer não] It is a strategic mistake because it will lead to the strengthening of Chega more and more”.

“It is the third political force in the Assembly of the Republic. Which means there are many voters who have found themselves in the Chega party. It is a party to be reckoned with. There is no barrier to erect here. , there is no wall to build a party, whatever it may be: from left to right, from extreme left to extreme right, we must respect the will of the people and at this time the respect must be greater because they have 12 deputies, “justifies João Moura.

The only drawback, the Social Democratic deputy illustrates, is its “radicalism, both from the left and from the right. Which, yes, the PSD must fight them. There is a red barrier in several themes: the death penalty, chemical castration , a series of them, human rights, gender equality… here the PSD puts a very high red barrier. We will never let this succeed in a democratic society in Portugal”.

Jaime Nogueira Pinto believes that “Chega was demonized, as any party that appeared outside the official political, social and cultural correctness of the regime would be demonized. And that is why the PSD, a historical party of the regime, came ideologically even close to the PS, and with it part of the center that has ruled us for almost half a century, is struggling to cross these “red lines” that the left has proclaimed”.

And here the dilemma of “ambiguity” arises: “Given the reality and expectations – the vote in Ventura in the presidential election and the expectations that the polls give to Chega – it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to create an alternative today government to the PS without Enough. Hence the acute dilemma of the PSD, between settling for Enough and facing the “devilishness” of the media, or not getting along and continuing in the opposition. It’s not easy at all on to resolve,” says the professor and doctoral political analyst in political science.

Ventura appoints government in Madeira

The question was asked on January 27 and went unanswered. If necessary to maintain the majority, will you admit or rule out a post-election parliamentary agreement with Chega? Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Madeira Regional Government, who told DN: “You don’t need the CDS [parceiro de coligação] to live,” opted for silence. Ventura, to DN, stated that “if this scenario [o PSD não conseguir maioria] when it comes to verification, Chega will assess “the” political conditions to form a government”. Miguel Castro, regional leader of the party, admitted: “We will sit down at the table and talk, of course”. José Manuel Rodrigues , from CDS/Madeira doesn’t believe it takes enough to rule, but reminds the PSD that “marriages also fall apart”.