The PSD president vowed to “give no rest to the PS government” and to fulfill the mission of “give Portugal a new government” in a message posted this Sunday on social media on the occasion of the anniversary of his election.
“Portugal needs hope, we cannot accept this hallmark of the PS government, which is impoverishment. We see how young people leave, we see how those who lead an active life receive low wages, we see that pensioners are afraid that the government will cut them off. his pension,” says Luis Montenegro.
Alternatively, he proposes a “Portugal of Hope” with an answer to people’s everyday problems such as the cost of living, health care, education, justice, crime, “increased insecurity” or “lack of housing space”.
“We at PSD are fulfilling our mission to create a new government in Portugal. We are not going to give peace to this PS government, its inefficiency, a government entangled in affairs, affairs, scandals, in unprecedented institutional degradation. until today in Portugal,” he criticized.
On May 28, 2022, a few months after the PS won an absolute majority in legislative elections with a term of office until 2026, the former SDP parliamentary leader handily won – 72.5% against Jorge Moreira da Silva – in direct elections to the SDP . , a goal that had botched two years earlier against then-president Rui Rio.
Luis Montenegro will work for a year only on July 3, as he assumed the full functions of the chairman of the party only at the Congress of Porto.
Although theoretically three years away from legislative elections, since December, with a string of TAP-related “cases” involving several members of the executive branch, the SDP’s political message has hardened and the word “dissolution” has suddenly appeared. political speech, including the speech of the President of the Republic.
Luis Montenegro never asked for early elections, even after Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba remained in government, but he has already assured that he is ready to challenge them at any time.
After some public disagreements with Republic President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa over whether the SDP is already a credible alternative to government, the SDP leader received strong support from Anibal Cavaco Silva a week ago.
In addition to the “completely false” view that the SDP does not represent an alternative policy, the former Prime Minister and President of the Republic even said that Montenegro is “as or better prepared” than he was when he took over as head of government. .
Montenegro raised the tone and traveled to Madeira this week to tell PS that “power is not eternal”: “Our turn is coming,” he warned.
In these first months of rule, almost complete inner peace reigned in Montenegro, it distanced itself from the Chega party, but the social democrats were also affected by court cases.
Joaquim Pinto Moreira – one of the closest to Montenegro in the 2020 domestic campaign – was arrested in late March during Operation Whirlwind and suspended his parliamentary mandate, but on Friday he told parliament that he wanted to return. The SDP leadership says it was taken by surprise and called a meeting of its core for Monday.
This week, several Social Democrats, including current MP Carlos Eduardo Reis (who is not accused and never heard from), saw their name appear in a series of TVI/CNN Portugal posts based on wiretapping and reports from “Operation Tutti” . Frutti”, while PSD asks to expedite the investigation and warns that it will not agree with any ethical or legal violations.