João Maria Jonet announced on Monday that he has resigned his membership from the PSD and will run as an independent candidate for the Cascais City Council in the upcoming municipal elections. He explained his departure by stating that the PSD has become a “cynical occupier of power” in the municipality.
“I am no longer a member of the PSD. This decision was not made lightly, and I felt it important to explain this difficult choice,” said João Maria Jonet, 27, on X (formerly Twitter).
He acknowledged that “politics cannot function without parties,” but noted there are parties that “cease to make sense to us.”
“In Cascais, the party’s influence grew as the quality of policies and politicians diminished. They governed for immediate gain, riding on megalomaniac construction projects that threaten the identity and quality of life in the municipality. The PSD is a cynical occupant of power, governing for perpetuation rather than service. It colonizes public institutions, multiplies local companies, and keeps the municipality in a constant state of festivities, in a festival of wastefulness,” justified João Maria Jonet.
Já não sou militante do PSD. Não o faço de ânimo leve e não queria deixar de explicar uma decisão que me custou a tomar. Mas como o Elon Musk trama os links, se quiserem ver tudo vão ter de clicar no tweet de baixo. pic.twitter.com/NMuEP52XWO
— João Maria Jonet (@jm_jonet) June 23, 2025
The candidate for the Cascais City Council stated he no longer had “reasons” to belong to the PSD and felt it was his “duty to leave.”
Within the PSD, João Maria Jonet worked on Jorge Moreira da Silva’s candidacy for party leadership and Carlos Moedas’s campaign for the Lisbon City Council.
Earlier this month, the political commentator announced his independent candidacy for the Cascais City Council, which will be officially launched next Wednesday, June 21, at Parque Marechal Carmona in the village where he is a candidate. The movement will be named “Cascais para viver.”
In the race for the Cascais City Council, João Maria Jonet will face current deputy mayor supported by the PSD, Nuno Piteira Lopes, PS candidate João Ruivo, and CDU candidate Carlos Rabaçal.
The municipal elections are expected to take place in September or October this year.
