Inês Sousa Real, the leader of the PAN party, stated unequivocally that her party would never support a government solution that includes a party with an agenda of extreme-right, discrimination, xenophobia, and racism, which she claimed has misled the Portuguese people and exploited their dissatisfaction for electoral gain.
The comments were made in Maia, Porto district, during a visit to two animal protection associations. Inês Sousa Real was queried about potential agreements to support the forthcoming government and whether she is open to the challenge posed by Livre for a “historic commitment” to the left.
“What we can assure the Portuguese people is that after May 18, they can count on PAN to continue being a force of stability and work. We know people are tired and frustrated with these very short political cycles, and it’s time for them to look at the causes they believe in and vote for those causes,” she responded, without specifying which parties she is open to reaching agreements with.
Regarding Chega, the PAN leader was stern: “They have not done any useful work in the Assembly of the Republic. PAN, with a single deputy, has achieved more approvals than Chega. They have misled the Portuguese because they talk about fighting corruption and crime, yet their own parliamentary group faces significant legal issues.”
Inês Sousa Real also recalled the “very controversial” suitcase case and other incidents that “outrage the Portuguese.”
“The suitcase case was very controversial, but we cannot ignore the alleged cases of pedophilia, child sexual abuse, issues that anger the Portuguese. Every vote for Chega is funding noise-making rather than contributing to people’s lives,” she asserted.
She urged voters in Porto district to vote for PAN to elect a deputy that would allow the party to form a parliamentary group capable of “demanding changes from the Government” and “representing the diverse sensitivities of the country.” She highlighted PAN as being “a very useful political force in the Assembly of the Republic,” closely aligned with the causes it represents and the concerns of the Portuguese people.
“We know that any solution that involves PAN’s contribution after May 18 will be on a different agenda than what has been thus far. We are the only political force bringing the animal cause to Parliament and the campaign. While other parties make promises during electoral campaigns, we have approved concrete measures for housing and combatting domestic violence,” she concluded.
The legislative elections are scheduled for May 18.
