During a campaign event in Nazaré, Leiria district, the PSD president and Prime Minister dismissed any government resignations relating to this matter and denied any lack of information transmission between the National Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries.
Luís Montenegro stated that the State and Foreign Affairs Minister, Paulo Rangel, was unaware of an April layover at Lajes due to “a procedural error” at his ministry, while “everything else followed a perfectly normal process.”
“It’s absurd for the Government to perceive routine decisions with such a mentality, but we’re in an electoral campaign, which might explain it,” commented the PSD/CDS-PP executive head, who expressed confusion over the “radicalized reactions of the opposition” to the incident.
This issue provoked an intervention from PS Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro, who announced from Madeira requests for hearings with the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Ministers, Nuno Melo, to explain the issue in parliament, describing Paulo Rangel’s statements as serious for admitting he was not previously informed about the air operation.
In Faro, PCP Secretary-General Paulo Raimundo also announced his party’s interest in hearing the two ministers, arguing that Portugal, as a sovereign nation, cannot “afford to let planes, particularly from the United States, land on national soil ‘without authorization’.”
On Thursday night in Lisbon, Livre spokesperson Rui Tavares questioned how Nuno Melo, CDS-PP president, “can remain as Defense Minister,” citing “chaos in the Government” with two ministers “not understanding each other.”
BE has demanded the Defense Minister’s resignation today in a Lisbon press conference via Joana Mortágua, who accused the CDS-PP president of allowing the passage of planes “used in the genocide of the Palestinian people,” acting “without the Foreign Minister’s consent.”
The Foreign Affairs Minister reported after an “exhaustive investigation” that there “was indeed communication and implicit authorization (i.e., by expiration of the respective deadline) for the stopover and overflight of three American aircraft delivering to Israel,” with “communication already having favorable feedback from AAN (National Aeronautical Authority, under the National Defense Ministry).”
Paulo Rangel clarified today that the information did not reach him or his office due to “an internal communication failure” at his ministry.
During a campaign action in Albufeira, Faro district, Chega President André Ventura touched on another national matter, claiming a “future commitment” with PSD was made during negotiations on the foreigner’s law to “combat social support abuses relating to immigrants,” in separate legislation, without a defined schedule.
“The Government did not commit, now or in the future, to ban immigrants’ access to social supports,” responded Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro at the conclusion of a Council of Ministers meeting, adding that the PSD/CDS-PP executive aims to “combat any abuse in access to social supports.”
IL President Mariana Leitão joined an action with Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas, who seeks reelection leading a PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition, against what he called the “radical left front,” while Rui Tavares was alongside Alexandra Leitão, candidate of the PS/Livre/BE/PAN coalition, urging a “realistic vote.”
PAN leader Inês Sousa Real was in Sintra, supporting the PSD/IL/PAN candidacy of Marco Almeida, arguing that these “municipal bridges” help “dialogue at the national level.”
