Sebastian Bugalho says Marta Temido ‘constantly praised’ von der Leyen’s programs

The head of the AD list for Europeans this Thursday called on the PS to clarify whether it will support the re-election of the President of the European Commission, recalling that Marta Temido has “constantly praised” the programs launched by von der Leyen. .

“We have a very clear position regarding President Ursula von der Leyen: we will support her and vote for her to remain president of the European Commission,” Sebastian Bugallo began, the local PSD president told reporters in Faro on the sidelines of the inauguration.

The head of the list of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition uniting PSD, CDS-PP and PPM, then challenged number one on the socialist list.

“I would like to know, for example, whether my main opponent, Dr. Martha Temido, will support this re-candidacy, in the sense that she has constantly praised the programs authored by Ursula von der Leyen, namely the Next Generation EU,” he stated.

Sebastian Bugalho stressed that “there is no point in praising what Ursula von der Leyen did if we are not going to vote for Ursula von der Leyen now.”

“We have a consistent position, we praise and support. What is the PS doing in Portugal, only praising and not supporting? I think it is important to clarify this issue,” emphasized AD’s candidate for the European Championship on June 9.

This year’s European elections, taking place from June 6 to 9, will feature a dozen “main candidates” from various European political parties for the presidency of the European Commission in the 2024-2029 legislature.

Ursula von der Leyen, now acting president, is a candidate for re-election from the European People’s Party (PPE, centre-right), which includes the SDP and CDS-PP, and from the European Socialist Party (PES, centre-left), which joins the PS, representing Nicholas Schmit for this position.

In Faro, Sebastian Bugalho also left, on behalf of the AD candidate, “a vote of strong condemnation of physical attack, in this case with the use of a firearm,” as stated by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. seriously injured after being shot several times in Handlova, about 150 kilometers from the capital.

“We want to send a signal of solidarity and, above all, we want rapid improvements and we want to condemn the use of violence against any European leader, any European candidate and any citizen,” he stressed.

This report, the AD list chief continued, “also includes” a young Nepalese man who was allegedly “the victim of abuse, which was also filmed and the footage was published and circulated.”

“We want to say here that our candidacy also completely condemns violence against immigrants, violence against European citizens or violence against all those who come to Europe in search of a better life,” said Sebastian Bugallo.

Making an “exception” to European affairs, the AD candidate also addressed the case against the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, requested by Chega, following claims of reparations to former colonies.

“We do not agree that the party is trying to use the President of the Republic to humiliate Portugal. Because one thing is what the President of the Republic sometimes says, and we may disagree, one thing is a difference of opinion, another is a crime of belief,” he said.

According to Sebastian Bugalho, the party that accuses the President of the Republic of betraying the country is the party that “contributes to the humiliation of Portugal” in the international community and “in the eyes” of the country’s allies and partners.

Chega was the only party to vote against the report, which concluded that there was no evidence that the President of the Republic had betrayed the country, with the other parties voting in favor.