The former President of Parliament, Ferro Rodrigues, advises his successor in this post, Augusto Santos Silva, to reduce the image of the presidential candidate and admits the possibility that Antonio Costa will remain in the leadership of the Socialists after 2026.
This position was taken by Ferro Rodrigues in an interview this Friday broadcast by Radio Renacensa, a few days after this former PS general secretary (2002/2004) published his memoirs entitled “This is how I see my life”.
Ferro Rodrigues, who served as President of the Assembly of the Republic between 2015 and 2022, admitted that the exercise of this position by the current President of Parliament, Augusto Santos Silva, is now difficult, especially due to the rise of Chega in the last Legislative Assembly. elections.
“I was president of the Assembly of the Republic with a far-right deputy [André Ventura] and now there are 12 of them. Plus the Liberal Initiative, which has slightly changed its nature in recent years. I understand that its difficult [Augusto Santos Silva] be very big. Mine was already big and should be very big, so I support it in basic terms,” he said.
Shortly thereafter, in response to a question from Augusto Santos Silva about a possible presidential candidacy, Ferro Rodríguez stated that when people fill a role, “they should not project their future into any other role.”
“When you have the role of President of the Assembly of the Republic for two more years, and if things go well, there is little point in giving up the image that you are a candidate for the post of President of the Republic – and I think this is something that only depends on him – cut this image and this projection,” he warned.
Ferro Rodrigues then emphasized his “great friendship and admiration” for the former minister of state and foreign affairs, but repeated his point: “I think that when people perform public functions, they should be very careful about the expectations that they create around themselves. , even if they are forced to do so.”
In an interview with Rádio Renascença, Ferro Rodrigues refused to comment on the political scenarios following the resignation of António Costa from the posts of PS general secretary and prime minister.
“But when will post-costism arrive? Post-costism may or may not appear in 2026. I have known Prime Minister and Secretary General António Costa very well for many years and I know very well that one of his greatest passions is PS,” he stressed.
On this issue, he expressed the conviction that António Costa “will never leave the PS if he feels that the PS may find itself in the grip of adventures or situations that could lead to its defeat or even destruction, as happened with similar socialist parties in France ” , Italy, Greece.”
Asked what he thought the adventure would be, the former socialist leader and former minister in António Guterres’s government replied: “It will take the PS into an alley with no strategic perspective, trying to break with the past.”
Regarding the ambitions of former minister Pedro Nuno Santos to become the leader of the PS, replacing António Costa, Ferro Rodrigues said that he does not know him well enough.
“I spoke with Pedro Nuno Santos when he was Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs and he did a good job in terms of protecting the interests of the state, democracy and parliament. I, like any good listener, followed what happened, that his path was in parliament, and now on television,” he added.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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