PS National Commission meets today with the party preparing to be in opposition – Politics

The PS National Commission meets this Saturday in Viseu to analyze the political situation, two weeks after the legislative elections and at a time when the socialists are preparing to oppose the right-wing government.

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

At this meeting, the party showed that it was aligned with Pedro Nuno Santos’ vision for the legislature. The socialist leader assumed since election night that the party would be in opposition, but expressed openness to dialogue with the Government, immediately making himself available to facilitate a possible amending budget for the Democratic Alliance (AD) limited to “matters of consensus”.

In practice, the PS leader referred to the valorization of the careers and salary scales of teachers, security forces, health professionals and court officials, adding that he intends to see this matter resolved by the summer.

Among the PS personalities who, at the CPN meeting, showed themselves to be aligned with this vision is the socialist leader Francisco Assis, who welcomed the party’s openness to dialogue, but also highlighted that Pedro Nuno Santos is right in considering it “practically impossible” PS will make an AD State Budget viable.

“Only in exceptional circumstances can it be justified [votar a favor]. We are a long way from that moment,” he said, also criticizing the “inadmissible pressure” that he considered to be being placed on the PS and accusing the AD of not having given “a single sign” of dialogue.

Conversely, José Luís Carneiro, Pedro Nuno Santos’ opponent in the dispute for the leadership of the PS in December, was the only one who publicly expressed dissonance in this generally consensual tone.

Despite not having spoken during the CPN meeting, Carneiro told journalists at the entrance that the willingness to make an AD amending budget viable is a “sensible position”, but distanced himself from the idea that it is “practically impossible” for the PS do the same with the State Budget.

“It’s still early. (…) It’s a discussion, from my point of view, that is not timely considering that we are still far from that stage”, he stressed.

The last meeting of the PS National Commission took place on January 13 in Coimbra, a week after the party Congress that consecrated Pedro Nuno Santos as the new socialist leader. On that occasion, the party’s Secretariat and Political Committee were elected.