The IX PAN Congress started this Saturday in Matosinhos with the election of the board, which will be chaired by Alexandra Reis Moreira, and with the speech of the spokesperson, who emphasized “the difference that the party has made in the Portuguese political landscape ” .
The ninth main gathering of People-Animals-Natureza will take place at Escola Básica de Matosinhos, in the Porto district, under the motto “Nature that unites us”. The election of the congressional executive took place by secret ballot, with delegates arriving from 8:30 am.
At 9:40 a.m., the Congress Organizing Committee formally opened the works in the school’s auditorium, announcing that the A-list, the only candidate, had 71 votes, 20 blanks, and eight zeroes, and that the works were now directed by Alexandra Reis . Moreira, chairman of the board.
Right at the start, the opposition claimed a seat at the table, but this claim was not granted, sparking protests in the hall and leading to an acclamative vote on the congressional settlement, approved by 23 votes to 89.
The result drew criticism, with one delegate accusing members of the board of directors of being “fascists” and another taking to the pulpit to give a statement of vote criticizing internal rules and the fact that the Congress only takes place in one day. which, according to that affiliate, harms the party’s “internal democracy”.
The opening session of the congress also featured an intervention by the PAN spokeswoman, who highlighted the “difference the PAN has made in the Portuguese political landscape over the last 13 years”.
Inês de Sousa Real summed up the work she has done as the only deputy in the Assembly of the Republic in the current legislature, where she presented 282 initiatives, 23 of which were approved.
The leader candidate said she hopes this magna gathering will be “a space for reflection and ideas.”
Referring to the current “quite different context” from that which existed when it was elected two years ago, he said that “in just 13 months” the leadership was “called to present itself in municipal elections”, to which it has received a “historic number of candidacies” . and received “the largest number of local elected representatives”.
The lone MEP also pointed to the “challenging internal moment” the party was going through and also criticized the 2020 exit of former MEP Cristina Rodrigues and the MEP who managed to elect, speaking of a “personal appropriation” of the mandate by Francisco Guerreiro.
“We also know that at the time when the collective needed us to be present, not everyone was responding to the challenge the party was asking for, unity, healthy debate, building a stronger party to face internal and external challenges. offer,” he added.
With regard to the last parliamentary elections, he pointed out that the program implemented “in record time” was “recognized by various personalities and entities as the best in the field of the environment, animals, health and even internationally, which confirms the quality of the cadres of the party confirms.”.
Sousa Real did not directly refer to the loss of votes and the move from four elected deputies to one, but acknowledged “mistakes” and indicated that the result forced “a political and financial restructuring of the party”.
The spokeswoman also criticized the government, speaking of an “absolute majority lost in itself, lost in the successive political crises that have undermined citizens’ confidence in political power, in institutions and in the decency that government officials are supposed to promote”..
“It has been marked by cases and decisions that unequivocally weaken the rule of law and the legitimacy of this government. The lives of the Portuguese are on hold because the government is unable to provide the answers the country needs, a government that is leaving the unique opportunity to deploy community funds that are absolutely necessary’ and ‘the climate clock has been forgotten’ and ‘animal protection has been left in the background’.
Earlier, Bebiana Cunha, who was PAN’s parliamentary leader in the last legislature, argued that PAN has been one of the “leading voices on important issues” at the local level.
“When we see the causes happen, we know that the PAN is alive,” the Porto district leader stressed, stressing that the goals the party defends are “not small goals because they save lives” and contribute “to the common good “.
At the opening of the congress, a vote of condolence was unanimously approved by the affiliate Amália Cardoso and the delegates observed a minute’s silence.
Source: DN
