Two members, Anabela Castro and Nuno Pires, of the PAN National Political Commission have announced their resignation. The two officials were elected by List A, which is aligned with the leader Inês de Sousa Real, and communicated their decision on May 18, shortly before the closing of polls for the legislative elections.
In their statement, Anabela Castro and Nuno Pires cited their departure as a result of a “disagreement with the current direction of the party’s internal management.” They claimed the PAN no longer possesses the “ethical, respectful, coherent, and plural space that distinguished it in the national political landscape.”
The statement highlighted their concern: “The current leadership (or part of it) exhibits a vision that is too self-centered and autocratic, failing to take responsibility for the results, departures, and discontent that the party has systematically faced. Instead, they create narratives of betrayal and abandonment, attacking any dissenting opinions from the current ‘status quo.'”
Anabela Castro and Nuno Pires accused the leadership of stifling dissent and attacking critics, describing the political committee meetings as a “formality to adhere to the calendar where the strategy focuses more on power games than on causes.”
“The centralization of decisions and the growing marginalization of critical voices indicate a serious drift that undermines the confidence of those who, like us, believed that it was possible to engage in politics differently. Our involvement in this commission has thus become unsustainable,” they added.
Internally, the two members pointed out “unacceptable” situations of limiting internal debate. They emphasized the brief interval of 12 hours between the approval of the electoral program for 2025 and its public release, “without any real possibility for analysis and contributions as had always been done before.”
Anabela Castro and Nuno Pires also opposed what they described as an “obsessive promotion and protection” of Hugo Alexandre Trindade, the PAN’s district leader in Porto. Trindade is accused of behaving “intentionally improperly with other party members, without any legitimacy or position to justify it.”
The Porto district leader faces criticism for “remarks made” to a party member from Santarém and for “lies and omissions of the truth in a Porto district chat,” where he allegedly defamed the municipal deputy of Matosinhos, Albano Lemos Pires.
The two members criticized Inês de Sousa Real and Hugo Alexandre Trindade for individualizing decisions on “matters that are the responsibility of the CPP or CPN,” such as “hiring, event definitions, or collective stances, overriding the bodies and compromising the fundamental principles of the political project.”
In the same document, Anabela Castro and Nuno Pires stated that the leadership avoids “self-analysis and critical self-awareness,” defending party causes based on “the foam of the days, illusions, or marketing ‘jokes’,” which, they added, trivializes “the true nature of the problems.”
The PAN leadership confirmed to Lusa the resignation of the two national political commission members, thanking them for their work. They noted that “member renewal is a natural and integral part of the party’s democratic life. The party has called a meeting this Saturday to address the electoral results and to continue the internal consultation process promoted by this same leadership,” the response stated.
Anabela Castro and Nuno Pires, contacted by Lusa, declined to provide any further clarification.
