The parliamentary leader of the PSD affirmed today that the government’s image in managing wildfires “does not need cleaning,” stating that the social democrats have no regrets about hosting the Festa do Pontal.
Speaking to journalists after the leaders’ conference that approved a permanent committee session with the prime minister to discuss wildfire management, Hugo Soares denied that the government’s eagerness to provide parliamentary clarifications is an attempt to cleanse its image. He emphasized, “The image of the government does not need cleaning.”
The social democrat highlighted the differences between previous socialist executives’ approaches, which were characterized by politicians’ show-off at the operations theater “without any preparation,” and the current government’s approach of intervening “quietly, but with close proximity,” while continuing “to coordinate what is happening in Portugal.”
Addressing criticisms regarding the Festa do Pontal held amid the country’s wildfires, Hugo Soares insisted that there are no regrets about the social-democratic event, noting that the prime minister “left immediately after his speech and did not partake in any festivity.”
The social democrat also accused the PS leader, José Luís Carneiro, of hypocrisy for “criticizing the Pontal meeting outside the Sardine Festival in Portimão” and the Chega president, André Ventura, for “criticizing a trip to the beach” by Montenegro, only to later post a vacation picture on social media.
“I do not criticize them; I request consistency and respect from those who, discreetly but closely, coordinate the firefighting efforts in Portugal,” he remarked.
According to Hugo Soares, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Carlos Abreu Amorim, indicated during the leaders’ conference that this debate might yield “opposite effects” than intended, and the PSD parliamentary leader noted this could be due to “any heated discussion at this time.”
The social-democratic leader further criticized the PS intention to propose an independent technical commission to evaluate the fire combat, warning about the risk of this body concluding that previous socialist governments did not adhere to recommendations from the independent commission formed in 2017.
João Almeida, a CDS-PP deputy, praised Luís Montenegro’s readiness to be heard in the Assembly of the Republic, emphasizing that “no other government has been willing to come to parliament as the prime minister plans to do.”
The centrist also criticized the socialist party’s stance, considering it untimely to hear the prime minister and accusing the PS of making “bad opposition” by being “the only ones not wanting the debate.”
