The Popular Monarchist Party (PPM) issued a statement on Wednesday expressing its stance that the coalition between the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the CDS-PP must adopt a new name, as the designation “Democratic Alliance” (AD) is considered a political asset of the PPM. This announcement follows the PPM’s exclusion from the pre-election coalition discussions ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, due to disagreements over candidate placements.
“In the absence of a consensual agreement, the PPM believes that the ‘Democratic Alliance’ brand should only be utilized by a coalition of all three parties. Without our involvement, the PSD and CDS-PP coalition must adopt a different name, as has been done in the past. This is a fundamentally political and ethical matter for us,” the organization emphasized in a communiqué sent to the press.
The statement, signed by PPM’s Secretary-General Paulo Estêvão, reiterated that while the parties can choose whatever name they wish for their newly formalized coalition, they cannot use ‘Democratic Alliance’ since “AD is also a political asset of the PPM.”
“We are aware of the legal circumstances surrounding this matter. We were advised to take precautionary legal measures to prevent its unethical use by registering the AD brand with the Constitutional Court, in association with another party, in any electoral constituency. We did not proceed with this, believing that the PSD and CDS-PP would also refrain. All parties – PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM – must abstain from using this designation in these elections. The PPM demands this ethical obligation from our historical allies and government partners in the Autonomous Region of the Azores,” the statement added.
The PPM noted that under the proposed coalition agreement, they would once again not hold any eligible position in these elections, a situation that “differs from the negotiations in 2024 and offers no future for the party.”
“Thus, the PPM National Council decided not to accept the proposed agreement and proposed a counter-offer to the PSD: the inclusion of a PPM candidate in an eligible position,” they listed, although an agreement could not be reached.
Led by Gonçalo da Câmara Pereira, the PPM highlighted that “throughout the last legislature, [they] maintained complete loyalty to the coalition,” driven by a “genuine motivation” to “serve the country.”
“We are reliable and trustworthy. Political stability and the success of AD reforms were in the country’s interest, and the party prioritized this above all. […] We believed in the 2024 promise that we would be given an eligible position in the next national legislative elections,” they stated, while noting they contributed “with [their] votes and historical heritage to the coalition’s victory without any returns.”
“Why did we do this? For some, it’s because of our electoral weakness and incapacity. This wasn’t the case. The PPM was part of the Government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and its Legislative Assembly, where it has been continuously represented since 2008. In other words, we are active and continue to be represented in parliamentary and government institutions of our country. […] Change was necessary, and we contributed, which was likely more significant than imagined in the context of the narrow victory achieved,” they clarified.
It’s noteworthy that the PSD National Council unanimously approved the pre-election coalition agreement with the CDS-PP for the early legislative elections scheduled for May 18 in Madeira and the mainland, excluding the monarchists who participated in the AD for the 2024 legislatives and European elections. This time, the PPM will only be part of the coalition in the Azores.
When asked whether the coalition can still be named AD, PSD Secretary-General Hugo Soares argued that “there is nothing preventing the use of the AD name from the standpoint of this candidacy.”
“In the coming days, you will be informed of the name of the coalition that will be registered, but I want to say that from a legal, formal, constitutional viewpoint there is no issue. […] As the country knows, this is the candidacy of the AD; we are the AD,” he declared.
The PSD National Council also unanimously approved Luís Montenegro’s designation as the candidate for Prime Minister and, with three abstentions, the list of candidates for deputies.
[News updated at 11:47 PM]
