The President of the Republic, António José Seguro, once again received parties with parliamentary representation at the Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon, this Thursday. Upon leaving the meetings with President Seguro, the PCP and the Bloco de Esquerda accused Chega of being more interested in securing places in institutions outside Parliament than in the country’s problems.
“In a country with the cost of living increasing brutally, the party’s first concern [Chega] was to guarantee their own places in the bodies of the system that they are so sworn to fight”, said Paulo Raimundo, general secretary of the PCP.
“Chega has been debating the fight against the ‘tachos’ and now the main priority [do partido] is to discuss places in the State. The right and the extreme right are leading the country to an institutional impasse”, pointed out José Manuel Pureza, coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda.
Enough accuses PS of “casmurrice”
Although the President of the Republic has already expressed the need for between political forces, namely for the election of judges of the Constitutional Court and other external bodies of Parliament, the president of Chega admits that if the socialists do not give in, the agreement will have to include a Initiative Liberal.
“Why in a body of a political nature, where two thirds of the population are on the right, should there be five or six judges appointed by the PS? If the PS insists that there must be people everywhere and conditions everything, it will have to be done in another way, probably with the Liberal Initiative”, argued André Ventura.
According to Ventura, it is in the hands of the PS make it possible to reach a agreement in appointments to external bodies of the Assembly of the Republic and warned of the need to resolve the impasse as soon as possible. Still, the president of admit no abdicate of indicate one of the candidates to the Tribunal Constitutional.
Considering that the Ratton Palace “must also express the interpretation of the majority” on issues such as immigration control, euthanasia or increased sentences, he argued that “if the right gives up on this, it is always playing into the hands of the Socialist Party and the left”.
What is at stake?
Since the beginning of this legislature, Parliament has scheduled elections several times, which afell for due to absence of an agreement between the three largest political forces– PSD, Chega and PS.
The delay of months in the election for the External Bodies means that Pedro Nuno Santosformer general secretary of the PS, still have a place no State Council. Maria Lucia Amaralformer Minister of Internal Administration, still holds the position of Ombudsmansince it was proposed by the PSD, in October 2017, despite the function being carried out by Vice since it left the government.
Among other councils, commissions and mechanisms, the Chamber needs to nominate more than 50 people, plus their respective substitutes.
