PAN says it will never accept a government dependent on the far right

A PAN spokesman said this Thursday that the party will never accept a government that “puts the populist and anti-democratic far right” as the solution, calling for a vote to be held next Sunday.

“We will never accept a decision that directly or indirectly brings the populist and anti-democratic far right into the equation. We have made this clear and continue to do so,” emphasized Ines Sousa Real during the final dinner of the party. campaign in a Lisbon hotel, attracting about 300 people.

According to the head of the PAN list in Lisbon, the party has demonstrated that “it is responsible but does not write blank checks to the government, especially when Portugal and its citizens are at stake.”

“We have made it clear that it will be the parties best placed to govern that will have to say to what extent they move closer to the PAN, and not the other way around. It is not us who give in, because our reasons and values ​​are irreversible. We absolutely do not allow any failure, even less than it could be, as we did in Madeira,” he explained.

The PAN election campaign was marked by a desire to re-establish the parliamentary group and establish it as the main progressive force pursuing green policies, said Ines Sousa Real, who criticized what she called the conservatism of the AD and the lack of work done by the PS.

Following the election of André Silva in 2015, the PAN won four parliamentary seats in 2019, but returned to a single representative after the 2022 legislative elections.

During the election campaign, two PAN members elected to the Faro Municipal Assembly announced their resignation from the party, accusing the national leadership of becoming increasingly alienated from its guiding principles.

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.