PSD claims it has PS’s “obligation” to elect Pais Antunes as CES president

This Thursday, the PSD confirmed that it will re-nominate former Social Democratic Secretary of State Pais Antunes for the presidency of the Economic and Social Council (CES), and added that it has a “commitment” to the PS to guarantee these elections.

These positions were outlined by Social Democratic parliamentary leader Hugo Soares at the end of the collegium meeting, when he told reporters that Pais Antunes had agreed to reapply for the position of CES president on Friday, in an election that requires a two-thirds vote, that is, the approval of PSD deputies and PS.

On Wednesday, the only candidate put forward by the PSD, former Social Democratic secretary of state Luis Pais Antunez, lost by one vote with two-thirds of the votes cast for the job.

Luis Pais Antunes received 148 votes in favor, one short of the minimum of 149 – for a total of 230 deputies – to reach the two-thirds majority needed to elect the CES president. Among the 223 deputies, there were 70 whites and five zero votes.

“I proposed to the Chairman of the Assembly of the Republic [José Pedro Aguiar-Branco] and to the various parliamentary groups so that the elections are held as quickly as possible,” he repeated this on Friday, said the chairman of the Social Democratic Party.

Hugo Soares further referred to the fact that Socialist deputies are considered necessary to vote for the candidacy of Pais Antunes in order for him to receive the required two-thirds among the 230 deputies.

“I have the commitment of the PS parliamentary group that, together with the PSD parliamentary group, Dr. Luis Pais Antunes can be elected,” he said.

Referring to Wednesday’s result, in which Pais Antunes failed to be elected by just one vote, the chairman of the PSD parliamentary group tried to de-dramatize the situation and described it as “an accident that often happens in parliamentary life.” “.

“This is my wish, and I know that it is also the wish of the President of the PS parliamentary group. [Alexandra Leitão] – that on Friday there will be a new president of the EEA, because he is needed and because this body must return to normal functioning,” he added.

With a law degree from the University of Coimbra, Pais Antunes served as Secretary of State between 2002 and 2005 in two governments led by José Manuel Durau Barroso and Pedro Santana López.

Sociologist Sara Falcão Casaca has currently led the CES on an interim basis since February, after Francisco Assis gave up his mandate to run for the post of PS deputy in the last legislative elections.

Francisco Assis has headed the EEA since July 2020. For the first time in 2020, he was elected on the first attempt with a positive vote of 170 deputies. In April 2022, he was re-elected, also on his first attempt, to a second term, with 192 votes in favor.

According to the Constitution, “the EEA is a consultative and advisory body in the field of economic and social policy, which participates in the preparation of proposals for the main options and plans for economic and social development,” and responsibility for this rests with the Assembly of the Republic, which will elect its president by a two-thirds majority.