“It has been a long time since we had a minister contradicting the prime minister. In the interview with the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Carlos Abreu Amorim, for whom I have great respect, he told the truth. He said that, indeed, there was an agreement with Chega, which they are now desperately trying to deny,” stated José Luís Carneiro in Baião, Porto district.
Faced with Carlos Abreu Amorim’s statements to Rádio Observador, the Socialist leader mentioned that “only the prime minister can answer the question of why there is a minister who contradicts the prime minister.”
“It is necessary to ask the prime minister who is telling the truth. Whether it is the prime minister who said in parliament that there was no agreement, or it is the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs who today said there was an agreement,” he noted.
In an interview with Observador, Carlos Abreu Amorim acknowledged that there was a preliminary agreement between the Government and Chega on immigration and the IRS and that they are also discussing the legal framework of Higher Education, this after Luís Montenegro said he did not know what the “preliminary agreement” disclosed by André Ventura was about.
On this topic, José Luís Carneiro chose not to elaborate, preferring to ensure that “the PS will present alternative proposals to each criticism to show that it is prepared to serve the country in all areas of development.”
On the sidelines of Paulo Pereira’s candidacy presentation for Baião City Hall, the PS Secretary-General refused to answer whether he feels the PS is falling behind Chega in negotiations with the Government.
“I didn’t want to compare what is incomparable. We are far ahead because we have been here since before April 25 (…). We told the prime minister that we wanted to be a firm, responsible, and alternative opposition. And that’s what we will strive to be. For every criticism, we will present alternative solutions,” he concluded.
