The outgoing President of Parliament, Augusto Santos Silva, admitted this Wednesday his “political and personal defeat” by failing to be elected as a member of the “Beyond Europe” circle.
In an interview with Sic-Notícias, the first President of the Assembly of the Republic, who failed to be re-elected as a deputy, nevertheless put his result in perspective, recalling that he ran in a circle “especially difficult for the PS”, which he managed to do. elected for the first time in 2019 by himself, who was then re-elected in 2022.
“I would feel bad after standing as a candidate for the Outside Europe circle, now that it was predictable that the PS would reduce the number of votes and that I would be placed in one of the fully eligible seats,” he stressed. justifying his choice to the circle that elected him in the two previous elections.
Santos Silva said it was a matter of honor for him that “in a moment of even greater difficulty” he ran for office in the same circle that elected him, becoming the first deputy from the diaspora to be elected president of the Assembly of the Republic.
As before, the President of Parliament said that he will resume his duties at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto as soon as the new Legislative Body begins its work, but intends to maintain his political involvement as long as his health allows.
Regarding Belen’s future candidacy, Augusto Santos Silva declined to comment, arguing that “the timing of the presidential elections has slowed down” and “there will be time to think about other issues.”
Santos Silva downplayed the number of deputies Chega received (50) in his 50th year on April 25, saying he preferred to focus on the majority of deputies, 180, who represent democratic parties.
The number two in the government hierarchy also said he feels he has fulfilled his responsibilities as President of the Assembly of the Republic, saying his conduct has “always been the same” to “ensure that your rights are respected” and “to warn you when your speech becomes offensive or offensive.”
“I never cut anyone off,” he stressed, recalling that it was only when a group from Chega tried to “insult the president of a friendly country” that he was forced to intervene.
“A President who has not obstructed or defended dignity and democratic order will not be able to assert his rights as President of the Assembly of the Republic,” he said.
Another “lie” that Santos Silva pointed out was that he was accused of banning Chega deputies from participating in foreign visits, in response to which he invited deputies with positions offensive to the democratic system only in his own personal trips.
“We never repeat the same things, but if I fearlessly and calmly observed gross violations of the most basic rules of mutual respect, I would be ashamed of myself,” he emphasized.
Santos Silva also believes that new PS secretary-general Pedro Nuno Santos has “done very well” in proposing terms that will make the AD government’s adjustment budget viable.
“We cannot abandon the opposition to extremist forces, but [a oposição] this must be done with great care and caution,” he said, recalling that “the winning political force achieved its worst result ever” and the PS the third worst result, so “both leave this election weakened.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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