The Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (PS), José Luís Carneiro, stated on Tuesday that he has “always undertaken very challenging roles,” responding to the President of the Republic’s comment about his “very difficult position” as opposition leader given the current context.
“When I was Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities, I had to overcome significant challenges with our community in Venezuela, dealing not with one state but with 23, where we had a community of nearly 600,000 Portuguese and Luso-descendants,” he remarked after a meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the Palácio de Belém.
He added that as Minister of Internal Administration, he worked “to ensure pacification across various critical dimensions of the state and stronger security at the country’s borders.”
“I have always carried roles and responsibilities that demanded great dedication, a strong sense of public responsibility, and that is what I will continue to do. The Portuguese know me well from these roles I have held throughout my political career to trust the leadership [of the party],” he emphasized.
He continued: “It is certainly a challenging role. Being the opposition leader is always difficult, but such roles serve political leaderships.”
The meeting with Marcelo
Regarding the meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, José Luís Carneiro indicated he was “willing to contribute to the internal security system” and “improve the justice system.”
“And to also seek to establish a dialogue aimed at enhancing our democratic life. I could also convey what are vital priorities for our collective development, the need to address specific situations in people’s lives,” he said, referring to issues like “economic growth” and the “possibility of contributing to wage and family income improvements.”
José Luís Carneiro also highlighted “issues related to Housing and the urgent need to respond to housing needs” and mentioned “health-related issues, responses in Education, Culture, Science, and Higher Education.”
“Within this availability, I clearly expressed an intention to contribute so that this effort the country is making to bolster European capacities in terms of defense can also foster the development of our national economy,” he noted. However, he emphasized that “investment in defense does not undermine social functions and functions of territorial and economic cohesion.”
The new PS leader highlighted that the meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa resulted in a “very constructive dialogue” and reiterated that the Socialist Party “wants to remain a party of great responsibility in the defense of democracy, in defense of democratic institutions.”
José Luís Carneiro underlined that the PS “is a responsible and constructive party” and is “here to assert a political alternative to the Government,” noting that it wants to “cooperate and establish a productive dialogue on fundamental state matters.”
“We did not specifically address the State Budget, but it is evident, as I have publicly stated, this position is already known. We expect the Government to understand what are the foundations of the Welfare State that we have been able to build as a national community, and we will clearly oppose anything that undermines those foundations of the Welfare State and in defense of fundamental values of our life in society,” he pointed out.
When asked about the Prime Minister’s income declaration, the PS Secretary-General refrained from responding, stating that the answers fall to Luís Montenegro.
