Former Prime Minister Durán Barroso criticized this Friday the change in the institutional symbol of the government, saying that those who do not identify with the national coat of arms “are not truly Portuguese.”
The former PSD leader joined the AD campaign (a coalition uniting PSD, CDS-PP and PPM) this Friday at a rally in Santa Maria da Feira, Aveiro district, in a hall with 1,400 seats.
Durau Barroso wanted to address a topic that he felt had not been given much attention by the media, namely the change in the institutional image of the government by the PS executive.
“They said that the logo, our old weapon, was not inclusive enough, that there were some people who did not identify with it. But if these Portuguese do not identify with our coat of arms, then for me it is not so. true Portuguese, we have no more meaningful symbols than these,” he said, thanking the PSD president for having already promised that if he becomes prime minister, he will stop using the new symbol.
The former prime minister cited his past as president of the European Commission to tackle climate change, who joined the AD campaign after Santarem list head Eduardo Oliveira e Souza said there were investments that were blocked for “false climate reasons”.
“It was during my chairmanship of the Commission that we launched the most ambitious program to combat climate change. The problem of climate change does exist, but we must address it in a socially meaningful way,” he said.
At this point, he also criticized the most radical climate activists: “It is not some city boys and girls who have never seen a cow or a calf who will tell us how to connect with nature,” he warned.
“Any policy, even the fairest one, must have a balance, and we must avoid extremist positions, whether on the far left or the far right,” he said.
On this topic, he left a “barb” for former infrastructure minister Pedro Nuno Santos, who oversaw the railway line, although he never mentioned his name.
“Today I was in Lisbon and since I care about the environment, I thought I would come by train – or, as we now say, by rail – but between Lisbon and Santa Maria da Feira it is much faster to travel by car . In other words, the old Cavaco highways are faster than the Socialist railroad,” he said.
Durau Barroso also wanted to tell those gathered in Santa Maria da Feira why he likes PSD President Luis Montenegro.
“There are politicians who think that the world did not exist before they were born. Luis Montenegro is proud of the history of the PSD and the AD (…) He will be a great Prime Minister of Portugal,” he said, declaring that the country was fed up with “self-centered politicians with pathological narcissism.”
At the end of his speech, the former leader of the Social Democrats left an appeal to those who have not yet decided to vote.
“Is it worth going to a protest vote? My answer: a protest vote is not enough,” he said, referring to Andre Ventura’s party.
Durau Barroso wondered “how those who no longer want to see socialist governance would feel” if, because of this protest vote, they “woke up again on the 11th” with a PS government.
The former ruler also defended the importance of Portugal having a government “that is at home in NATO and the European Union”, questioning how the PCP and BE could influence a possible socialist government.
“We are not going to play in issues of national defense and national security,” he urged.
Earlier, SDS-PP leader Nuno Melo also appealed to the undecided vote with a “gaffe” that was soon corrected.
“It is the indecisive people who will give us the great victory. And we deserve a great victory, a strong victory that will allow Pedro Nuno Santos to be Prime Minister without being too dependent on others… Did I say that? I was wrong. , Luis Montenegro. God forbid, left crosses,” he corrected, causing laughter in the audience.
More than 10.8 million Portuguese are called to vote on March 10 to elect 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic.
18 political forces, 15 parties and three coalitions are participating in the elections.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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