PS The National Commission today met with the party preparing for opposition

The PS National Commission meets this Saturday in Viseu to analyze the political situation, two weeks after legislative elections and as the Socialists prepare to confront the right-wing government.

The meeting of this highest body between congresses was convened by PS President Carlos César this Saturday afternoon, with the analysis of the political situation as the only item on the agenda, and will take place two days after the meeting of the Party’s National Political Commission (CPN) in Lisbon.

At this meeting, the party showed that it is in line with the vision of the legislature Pedro Nuno Santos. The Socialist leader had assumed since election night that the party would be in opposition, but expressed readiness for dialogue with the government, immediately providing the opportunity to facilitate possible amendments to the Democratic Alliance (AD) budget, limiting itself to “issues of consensus.”

In practice, the PS leader cited increases in the career levels and salaries of teachers, security forces, health workers and judicial officials, adding that he intended to see the issue resolved by the summer.

Among the PS figures who demonstrated their commitment to this vision at the CPN meeting is Socialist leader Francisco Assis, who welcomed the party’s openness to dialogue, but also stressed that Pedro Nuno Santos is right in considering it “virtually impossible.” PS will make AD government budget viable.

“Only in exceptional circumstances can this be justified [votar a favor]. We are still a long way from that point,” he said, also criticizing the “unacceptable pressure” that, in his opinion, is being put on the PS, and accusing the AD of not giving “a single sign” of dialogue.

Conversely, José Luis Carneiro, Pedro Nuno Santos’s opponent in the December PS leadership dispute, was the only one to publicly dissent from this generally consensual tone.

Although Carneiro did not speak at the CPC meeting, he told reporters outside that being willing to make the AD amending the budget viable was a “reasonable position” but distanced himself from the idea that it would be “virtually impossible” for the PS to do so . the same goes for the state budget.

“It’s still early. (…) This discussion, from my point of view, is not timely, given that we are still far from this stage,” he emphasized.

The last meeting of the PS National Commission took place on January 13 in Coimbra, a week after the party congress at which Pedro Nuno Santos was proclaimed the new leader of the Socialists. On this occasion, the Secretariat and Political Committee of the party were elected.