This position was conveyed by Eurico Brilhante Dias in a press conference after being questioned about a report stating that the Socialist Party (PS) is facing a “statutory imbroglio” as José Luís Carneiro is only an interim leader and “must be elected again, this time with the process accompanied by a congress.”
The president of the PS Parliamentary Group expressed surprise at this news being on the front page of the newspaper, “because that was the decision made by the PS National Committee.”
“The PS National Committee decided to initiate an electoral process for the vacancy of the former Secretary-General,” Pedro Nuno Santos, who resigned following the defeat in the latest legislative elections.
According to Eurico Brilhante Dias, this vacancy, resulting from the previous leader’s resignation, “ended with the election of the PS Secretary-General — and that’s all.” “Thus, the Secretary-General of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, will finish the term that became vacant upon Pedro Nuno Santos’s departure. For us, it’s not even news. That is the decision of the PS National Committee that led to the call for direct elections for leadership,” he emphasized.
In other words, according to Eurico Brilhante Dias, the PS Secretary-General will complete the two-year term “that was underway.”
“It’s simple. For us, it’s clear and transparent,” he added.
Pedro Nuno Santos was elected Secretary-General of the PS in December 2023, succeeding António Costa, and the subsequent congress was held in January 2024.
According to the PS statutes, the next PS congress should be held in the early months of 2026.
