“This injustice of having Portuguese citizens living in a country with two political systems must stop, because we have two political systems. There is no other way to say this, we have multipartyism on the coast and bipartisanship in the interior,” remarked Rui Tavares, after a meeting with Youth Coop, a nonprofit cooperative focused on empowering and raising awareness among young people locally and internationally, in Agualva, Lisbon district.
Rui Tavares noted that the two major parties favor bipartisanship, warning they should be cautious as they have already lost seats in the interior to the far-right, not to any party within the democratic framework.
He further stated that if the leader of the Socialist Party (PS), Pedro Nuno Santos, wishes to become prime minister, he will need to discuss the national compensation circle with the Livre party.
“Pedro Nuno Santos will have to discuss with us the national compensation circle. It is not one of the seven elements that are an indispensable condition to start conversations, but it will be a discussion where we need to be persistent, because, obviously, we know it’s not only necessary to convince the PS but also to convince the PSD,” he emphasized.
This reference to Pedro Nuno Santos followed his interview with Radio Renascença (RR) on Friday, where he asserted that there is no expectation to amend the constitution regarding the electoral system.
“This is completely off the agenda; it is not on our horizon, nor do I think it is on the horizon of the AD, this issue does not arise,” said the socialist.
According to Rui Tavares, if the issue is not resolved in parliament, it must be addressed through government program negotiations or, someday, resolved in the courts.
“There is a political injustice that has been forgotten, dividing Portugal in half, and it cannot continue to happen,” he stressed.
As an example, the Livre leader emphasized that citizens from Portalegre should have the same voting rights as those from Lisbon, Porto, or Setúbal.
Once again directing his criticism at IL, as he has since the electoral campaign began, Rui Tavares expressed regret that the party led by Rui Rocha does not possess the same strength to insist to the PSD that if they want a government, then they must discuss the national compensation circle.
A study indicates that about 1.2 million votes in the last legislative elections were “wasted” and did not serve to elect any deputies, corresponding to 20.4% of the total, with interior territories being particularly disadvantaged.
