The statement by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco is featured in a post on his personal Instagram account, following the parliamentary debate on the state of the nation.
In his message, the President of the Assembly of the Republic emphasizes that “democracy is hard work, requires time, determination, and good sense, but it is worthwhile, even when it is difficult, especially when it is difficult.”
He adds that the parliament “is more than the incidents in plenary sessions.”
“But when they occur, it’s necessary to uphold what is right. A parliament where ideas are discussed and not individuals, where there is disagreement without personal attacks, where there is freedom of expression but also loyalty among all,” José Pedro Aguiar-Branco stresses.
During today’s debate on the state of the nation, the performance of the President of the Assembly of the Republic was challenged by the PS, following an exchange of accusations between the leader of Chega, André Ventura, and the Socialist Secretary-General, José Luís Carneiro.
André Ventura stated that José Luís Carneiro’s leadership of the PS “is even weaker than the other one,” referring to Pedro Nuno Santos. José Luís Carneiro responded to André Ventura: “Until today, I have not encountered a deputy as boastful as that one leading that bench” of Chega.
Aguiar-Branco reacted and considered that the word “boastful” used by José Luís Carneiro did not seem like “urbane treatment.” This position led the “vice” of the Socialist bench, Pedro Delgado Alves, to conclude that there was “a duality of criteria.”
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco also notes in his message that the debate on the state of the nation was the last plenary session before the summer break for parliamentary work.
“On the day we suspend plenary sessions, parliament continues to work: in committees, in the technical and political work that supports democratic debate. A word of recognition to all – deputies, teams, Assembly services – those who contribute to making democracy function every day,” he added.
