PSD Congress. The enthronement of the leader who wants to “fulfill Portugal”
The XXXIX PSD congress took place this weekend at Europarque in Santa Maria da Feira. The congress was not much more than an enthronement of Rio and a crystallization of who is its great internal opponent, named Miguel Pinto Luz. in the hands of Paulo Colaço – thus capitulating the onslaught of Rio in conquering him via Nuno Morais Sarmento – and for the entry of two new vice-presidents.
Rio conquers the National Council Eleven lists competed for the National Council. The one in Rio, headed by Pedro Roseta, was the most voted, with 187 votes, followed by that of Pinto Luz, with 161, making this – who is politically on his right – his official internal opponent. In third place, with 147 votes, was Pedro Calado, mayor of Funchal, who represents the Montenegrin wing.
Don’t think, however, that Rio didn’t have a majority in the National Council: it’s that, alongside its list, there are three that are related to it: that of Carlos Eduardo Reis – who, with 97 votes, was in fourth place -, Catarina Rocha Ferreira, with 70 votes, and Lina Lopes, with 17. Also the lists led by José Manuel Meireles, Luís Rodrigues, Nuno Ezequiel, Duarte Marques or André Neves managed to elect councilors, the latter two supporting Rangel on the right.
Reelections at the ‘Tribunal’ and at the Congressional Table Paulo Colaço, who was already President of the CNJ of the PSD, was reelected to the position. Nuno Morais Sarmento represented the riot wing in that suffrage, having lost with 390 compared to 442 in Colaço. As for the Congress table, it was won by Paulo Mota Pinto – who, beating rangelist Pedro Rodrigues by more than 100 votes, was reelected president of the body.
Some CPN changes Although there have been some changes in the CPN – which, headed by Rio, was approved by 67.6% of congressmen – it can be said that the leader maintained its structure. Two vice-presidents fell from the hard core (one was already known) and two others entered: Isabel Meirelles leaves – who will go to the Congress – and Morais Sarmento, and Ana Paula Martins and João Pais de Moura enter – both professors university students linked to Pharmaceuticals, with Moura serving as Mayor of Cantanhede for three terms. André Coelho Lima, Salvador Malheiro, David Justino and Isaura Morais remain in the place of vice presidents.
Filipa Roseta, councilor for housing and local development in Lisbon, Isabel Cruz, former vice-president of the Congress, António Marciano Lopes, from Beja, José Miguel Ramos, from Miranda do Corvo, and Pedro Coelho, from Wood.
Rio wants to “fulfill Portugal” It was around lunchtime that Rio gave the closing speech of the Congress. In this one, the emphasis is on the tonic of rejecting partisan Manichaeism. “I see political dialogue as fundamental for the future of Portugal,” he told congressmen, wearing a sombre blue tie across his chest. “Inventing differences beyond those that exist is useless for those who put the country’s interests ahead of their own party”, he insisted on launching the declaration. Start this one with a scent of the sense of State that would stamp the end of the speech – noting that, if it governs, it would not make “any revolution or undo everything that others did”. A Rio equal to itself: without great strident or political disruption, appealing to the common good of the Portuguese and to inter-party dialogue. A description that can lead the reader to the current criticism that Rio “does not make a choice”. It turns out that this time it did – or at least tried to.
In a speech that is not very galvanizing and somewhat monotone, Rio hopes to distance the PSD from the PS. For that, he criticized the socialist governance: “in the days of Covid-19 we were one of the countries that least supported companies and people, but there was no lack of money for Novo Banco, TAP, or EDP’s fiscal pardons”. And he continued to insist on the issue of taxes: “It is really undignified for anyone to pay so much tax and then see how frivolous how they are spent. TAP is also an example of socialist governance – it has put the State in a hole that seems to have no bottom”. Breech pulled back to finally fire with his typical Northern accent: “all bad, worse was impossible”.
He also took the opportunity to criticize the educational system. According to Rio, in 2015, “there were great results” from Portuguese students at an international level – something that, he says, “no longer exists” -, therefore “a work to achieve so much harm in such a short time”. Rio criticized the fact that the socialist ministers, when they took power, had “destroyed the work of their predecessor, regardless of the quality it may have had”. These socialist reforms, they explain, resulted in “facilitism” and a reduction in the “level of demand” in schools. Still in this world, he took the opportunity to affirm that he wants to “return dignity” to teachers – “one of the most important and most decisive professions in society”.
It focused on current issues, such as the need to increase the birth rate, the importance of promoting healthy lifestyles and nutrition, or the urgency of “incentives for young farmers”. It focused, however, on one: climate change. Something that “the whole world faces”, and that, “because it is global, it has to be local”. Drawing attention to sustainability, Rio notes that “the circular economy has to move beyond PowerPoint and give way to concrete and public measures”.
At the time of farewell, the historic Portuguese bravery running through his veins, a person from Rio asked him to “fulfill Portugal”. This is possible, he guarantees, if “conditions are created”. Thus, the “Portugal of the 21st century can once again be great: as big as its history” – conclusion.
“We have a right-wing government to build” It is the ‘touch and run’ between Ventura and Rio. If three weeks ago Ventura accused the PSD of socialism and, consequently, assumed that he did not want large conversations with this party, it seems that, after yesterday, Ventura changed his mind again. Now, the leader of Chega, once again shows the smile to the PSD.
At the i, André Ventura reveals that, after this speech, Rio “shows an opening to make some way to the right”. Despite continuing to show himself as “an overly subservient leader with the PS and with António Costa”, Ventura notes that he “liked” to hear Rio speak, “finally”, of the “fight against subsidy dependence” and against the “privileges of some minorities who do not want to work”. Therefore, if “Rio is willing, as I said at the end of the congress, to converge as an anti-system force and fight to end subsidy dependence and corruption, then we have the way to go and a right-wing government to build”, he said. to the self.
Who also noticed this approach, but, on the other hand, was not a big fan of José Luís Carneiro, assistant secretary general of the PS. Carneiro, after attending the closing session of the PSD Congress, considered the party led by Rio to be approaching the “extreme right”. In Carneiro’s understanding, the PSD did so in two moments: “when it accepted the agreement with Chega nos Açores” and “when it arrived at this congress and said it was a party against the system”. In his view, the PSD in Rio “is approaching the extreme right and not the political positioning in the center as the country needs”. The socialist leader understood that the PSD leader, in her closing speech, used “populist torches” that are “unfair” in relation to the recent efforts of the Portuguese.