Manuela Ferreira Leite, former leader of the PSD, is named as one of the names that could be nominated by the party to join the Council of State. A Renaissancea former social democratic leader says it is a “strong hypothesis” to occupy the place that must be taken from Miguel Cadilhe.
“I wasn’t surprised“, responds to Renaissance another source from the PSD who is part of the party’s bench in Parliament.
Over the last few months, Manuela Ferreira Leite has appeared alongside the new PSD leadership and has come out several times in defense of Luís Montenegro.
During the election campaign, he described the now prime minister as a person “loyal, serene, sensible and calm“, and someone who “is not subject to psychological changes”, as opposed to Pedro Nuno Santos.
More recently, in statements to Rádio Observador, he classified Pedro Passos Coelho’s interventions as “absolutely unacceptable“, after the former prime minister and leader of the PSD accused Luís Montenegro of “trying to disconnect” from his past linked to passism.
Ferreira Leite among the “thousands” of possible names
Having closed the dossier on the European elections, the Stability Program, the Government Program and the soap opera surrounding the controversy over the IRS, the PSD’s national leadership should now begin to focus on institutional dossiers such as the two names to be nominated for the State Council.
According to several sources confirming the Renaissancethe theme has not yet been discussed in the hard core of the social democratic leadership.
A Renaissance It is said by a PSD leader that Ferreira Leite appears among “thousands of possible names”, alongside figures such as Durão Barroso, Rui Rio or even Pedro Passos Coelho.
The same source includes Manuela Ferreira Leite in the group, but does not exclude the possibility of choosing a name with a younger profile, such as former ministers Maria Luís Albuquerque or Miguel Poiares Maduro or even José Matos Correia, current president of the PSD Jurisdiction Council.
“There are thousands of names“, it is assumed in the social democratic direction, which does not rule out, however, that one of the two places indicated by the PSD will even be occupied by someone younger. “There is a chance to go even to someone younger“, says a management source, who concludes that “anything is possible”.
In this universe of possibilities, it is assumed by the national leadership of the PSD that names such as the former Minister of Finance Eduardo Catroga, the former president of the Economic and Social Council Silva Peneda, António Capucho or even the Barrosista Nuno Morais Sarmento.
Aguiar-Branco calls for “urgency” in nominating names for the State Council
The Council of State is an advisory body to the President of the Republic, made up of several members who occupy or have held positions: president of the Assembly of the Republic, prime minister, presidents of Regional Governments, former Presidents of the Republic, ombudsman of Justice and president of the Court Constitutional.
In addition to these, the President of the Republic has the right to nominate five names, which are currently: Joana Carneiro, Leonor Beleza, Lobo Xavier, Lídia Jorge and Marques Mendes. And Parliament has the right to nominate five other names, currently: Carlos César (PS), Francisco Pinto Balsemão (PSD), Manuel Alegre (PS), Sampaio da Nóvoa (PS) and Miguel Cadilhe (PSD).
However, this configuration changes when there are elections. Chega will have the right to a name, which according to the Observer will be André Ventura. And PS and PSD must divide the remaining four.
Appointed by the direction of Rui Rio, Miguel Cadilhe should not remain on the State Council. The process must take place in next few weeks andat the conference of Parliament leaders, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, president of the Assembly of the Republic, warned of the urgency to choose the names for this consultative body.
