IL attacks Montenegro for holding elections in the second round of the legislative elections – Politics

The president of the Liberal Initiative (IL), Rui Rocha, defended this Monday that making the European elections a second round of the legislative elections is a “weak service to the country”, also describing as “very worrying” a possible exclusion of that party from the debates .

“It shouldn’t be and whoever wants to transform it in this second round [das legislativas] is, in fact, doing the country a poor service, because we have important things to discuss”, Rui Rocha told journalists at the Constitutional Court, in Lisbon, where the party delivered the lists for the European elections on June 9th.

Rui Rocha was speaking in reaction to the challenge from PSD president and prime minister, Luís Montenegro, on Sunday, for PS and Chega to take advantage of the European elections to clarify whether they want to create an “alternative government” and “legislate together”.

The head of the IL list, João Cotrim de Figueiredo, who considered it “possible to elect more than one” liberal deputy, also criticized this transformation of the Europeans into a “second episode of the legislative elections in March”.

“I think it is a disservice to democracy and the focus of these European elections that the Prime Minister does when he puts the issues in these terms”, he stated, ensuring that, for IL, “the European elections are about Europe”.

For Rui Rocha, “there is little time for discussions of scenarios, tactics, interested and self-interested agendas”, because Portugal and Europe are on a path of “decadence”.

On the other hand, Rui Rocha added: “It would be very worrying if the debates that will be held on Europe were focused only on internal political scenarios and that they excluded the representation of the fourth Portuguese party, which is the IL, and of the one that I consider to be is the best candidate for these elections, João Cotrim Figueiredo”.

“I know that there are parties that want to hide IL’s candidate and there are parties that want to hide their own candidate”, he said, in reference to Chega’s list head, Tânger Corrêa, who he did not name, saying he was talking about “who there is a head of the list who has positions clearly aligned with the interests of Russia and Putin”.

“We don’t want to hide anything, we want to have the freedom to discuss, present our ideas and present our candidates. Democracy would be a poor service if the debates excluded the representation of the fourth party”, he declared.

Rui Rocha expressed IL’s availability to “hold debates with all parties that are representative”, considering it “certainly possible” to find a formula to “hold debates with parties that have representation in the European Parliament and significant representation in the Portuguese parliament”.

João Cotrim de Figueiredo expressed his confidence in his debut in the European Parliament, even considering that “it is possible to elect more than one” liberal MEP, although stressing that the objective of the strategic motion is to elect at least one.

“We are not here for anything other than to make IL’s candidacy for the EP a moment of affirmation of what liberals can do for the European project, which needs to be revitalized, so that it does not lose the aura of appreciation that the Portuguese have for European Union, for good reasons, and which they must have again”, said Rui Rocha.

At the closing session of Universidade Europa, on Sunday, Luís Montenegro referred to the approval, last week, of most of the PS, BE and PCP proposals on the IRS, with the Government’s proposal ending up being reduced to the specialty without a vote , just like those of Chega and IL, at a time when their approval seemed to be in question.

“If what appears to be a sign of the first week happens, and the idea of ​​the PS and Chega is to simulate opposition to the Government by creating an alternative government, then they will have to accept this face to face with the Portuguese”, he challenged, considering that the The next campaign will be an opportunity to make this clarification.

The PSD president said he wanted to focus the campaign on choosing the next European Parliament – even recommending voters not to vote for “specific causes” -, but warned that the AD will not be “indifferent to reality”.

“This is not a legislative revenge, but it is an opportunity for us all to show our coherence and what we truly want for the country,” he said.