José Sena Goulão / Lusa
The President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco
Aguiar-Branco’s statements at a PS meeting criticizing Pedro Nuno Santos and the arrival are causing controversy, with the two parties accusing the President of the Assembly of the Republic of not being impartial.
Aguiar-Branco accused PS Secretary-General Pedro Nuno Santos of having done “worse to democracy in six days than André Ventura in six years ”, in an intervention in the PSD National Council.
According to sources present at the meeting, which took place at the closed door, and stressing to speak of the capacity of militant and not that of President of the Assembly of the Republic, the former Minister of Justice considered that the controversy of recent weeks about the company Spinumviva, currently detained by the sons of Luís Montenegro, “It is a matter of regime“.
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco said he did not consider it normal for a deputy to define what is a fair value for services provided by a company, that “a leader of a founding party of democracy” can say what can or may not do outside politics or that a deputy can be “can be“ “replace the Judicial Police or to the Public Prosecution Service, to pursue other deputies, ministers or prime ministers ”
The former PSD parliamentary leader argued that a “dangerous port” was opened when the parliamentary committees of inquiry were began to use “attacking people” and “for the purposes of Devassa and Voyeurism.”
Aguiar-Branco referred, in particular, to the Inquiry Commission imposed by the arrival of the Luso-Brazilian twins, saying if he wanted to put “the President of the Republic to answer for his children”, and now, in the case of Spinumviva, if he intended “put your children to answer for the father“.
“The arrival invented the technique, The PS institutionalized. Pedro Nuno Santos made worse for democracy in six days than André Ventura in six years, ”he said.
Aguiar-Branco considered that Luís Montenegro to “it was far away” in the explanations and that the problem “is not this or that prime minister”, but “a matter of regime.”
“The problem is that there is no good person who has seen what happened these days and has not said: ‘Me in politics? never“He said, resuming an idea that had also been defended in the start of the National Council by former PSD leader Manuela Ferreira Leite.
The PSD National Council-at a much more participated meeting than usual and with many members of the Government present-it was held a day after the Assembly of the Republic spanned the motion of confidence to the government, causing the resignation of the minority executive PSD/CDS-PP, in a crisis that resulted in early May 18.
“Many serving”
Aguiar-white statements were considered to be “serious” by the PS, who replied that the President of the Assembly of the Republic has been “guarantee of instability in Parliament.”
Marina Gonçalves, leader and vice president of the socialist bench, describes the comments as unacceptable and accuses Aguiar-Branco of having “normalized undemocratic postures” in the functioning of the Assembly.
“Given that it is precisely this President of the Assembly of the Republic that has normalized undemocratic behaviors, which in a party forum makes that kind of statement, I can only see this or how the normalization of a wider right or, which can also be complementary, in political tacticism, focused only on grabbing power“He declared.
Marina Gonçalves also rejected the argument that Aguiar-Branco spoke as a PSD militant. “There is no rob. The President of the Assembly of the Republic is 24 hours a day, ”he said.
André Ventura also criticized Aguiar-White’s posture. Speaking to journalists on Thursday afternoon at the Palace of Belém, the Leader of the arrival of the arrival “deeply” the words of the President of the Assembly of the Republic.
“I think it has provided a bad service to democracy. Instead of immediately defending the regiment, law, the constitution and plurality of the parties, he chose to attack the two parties that did not enable the motion of trust, ”said Ventura, who considers that the case shows a violation of the duty of impartiality.
Aguiar-Branco admits “errors” and “difficulties”
Already this Friday, the President of the Assembly of the Republic stated that his term had “many difficulties” and admitted that “Errors were made“But he said he was in a quiet conscience and has” always made the effort to dignify the institution. “
“I must say that, despite the many difficulties of this mandate, I always made the effort to dignify the institution, respect the suffrage of the Portuguese and ensure the democratic debate. Surely mistakes have been made, it is human to happen, but I have my quiet conscience As for the seriousness of the work I struggled to develop, ”said José Pedro Aguiar-Branco.
At the end of the plenary meeting, with a marathon of voting, the president of Parliament said goodbye to the deputies, indicating that this was the last plenary to which he presided over.
Aguiar-Branco thanked the parliamentary groups “the record of loyalty that happened most of the time“And he said he hopes that they” feel the same record of loyalty “on his part.
The President of the Assembly of the Republic also thanked the members of the Bureau “the work of solidarity and great collaboration and competence they gave, and struggled to manage plenary within the democratic framework of much fragmentation that also honors the institution”.
“I thank you all, All political quadrants And also to the vice-presidents who helped with their high competence to which there were no gaps with regard to the management of this table, ”he added.
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco said that It was “an honor” to exercise this position and that ends the mandate “with the awareness of having at least done the best for the institution to go dignified.”
“Be happy”The president of Parliament was said to have been applauded by all the deputies in the Hemiciclo and the table.
