The National Council of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the CDS-PP met separately on Wednesday night to discuss the upcoming early legislative elections scheduled for May 18. During the PSD meeting, the party’s list leaders were revealed, which include eleven ministers. The reelection of Luís Montenegro as prime minister in a coalition without the PPM was also approved.
Ministers Lead Lists; Montenegro to Remain Prime Minister
At the commencement of the National Council, a vote was held to designate the party’s candidate for prime minister. The without any abstentions or votes against.
The list of PSD’s Legislative heads was also announced, with Luís Montenegro as the top candidate for the Aveiro district. In addition to Montenegro, the and the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, who will again lead the list for Viana do Castelo.
The Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, will be number one for Porto, and the Minister of Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, for Lisbon. The Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, is to head the Vila Real list; the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, Santarém; Minister of Economy, Pedro Reis, Castelo Branco; Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes, Europe; and Environment Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho, Faro.
Youth Minister Margarida Balseiro Lopes will lead the Leiria list, while the Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, will head Portalegre. Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz will be second on the Lisbon list.
As a result, only Ministers Pedro Duarte—who is expected to run for Porto Mayor—Administration Minister Margarida Blasco, Labor Minister Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, and Culture Minister Dalila Rodrigues were left out of the lists.
In his opening speech at the PSD’s National Council, Luís Montenegro explained that the party mobilized the “best” to communicate the government’s accomplishments and future plans.
“We have mobilized the best in our structure for this campaign, with many from our government. During this electoral campaign, we will account for our past actions and explain future plans. No one better than those who executed and will hopefully continue to execute to convey this to the people,” stated Luís Montenegro.
AD: Without PPM?
Additionally, PSD’s president announced his intention to, excluding the PPM. Later, PSD’s Secretary-General, Hugo Soares, clarified that the due to failure to reach an agreement over positions.
“The PPM is not part of the coalition on the mainland as it was not possible to agree on positions (…) I don’t think we should compromise a political project over list positions, so the matter is settled,” he stated, adding that the name of the “registered coalition” will be revealed “in the coming days.”
The CDS-PP also approved a in the mainland, Madeira, and among expatriates, with PPM joining in the Azores only.
Speaking to reporters post-meeting, CDS-PP President Nuno Melo stated the party “has an agreement with the PSD for a coalition named Aliança Democrática, mirroring past legislative elections, and going to the polls fully legally,” and expressed confidence in maintaining the coalition’s previous name.
In 2024, the PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM formed a pre-electoral coalition, the Aliança Democrática (AD), winning the March 10 legislative elections by 50,000 votes over the PS.
Can the Acronym Be Used?
Despite PSD claiming “juridically, formally, constitutionally, there’s no issue” with using the AD nomenclature for the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, PPM leader Gonçalo da Câmara Pereira asserted the acronym’s unsuitability.
“Without an agreement, the PPM feels the ‘Aliança Democrática’ brand should only be adopted by all three parties together. Without our participation, the PSD and CDS-PP coalition must use a different name, as has been done before. It is a political and ethical matter we cannot overlook,” emphasized the collective in a press release.
When questioned by Lusa about which positions were being negotiated and might retain PPM in the coalition, PPM’s leader stressed it must be the 14th place in the Lisbon lists, as “beyond that, it poses a risk.”
The political crisis was instigated in February following a report from Correio da Manhã about Luís Montenegro’s family business, Spinumviva, then co-owned with his wife and children, raising questions about compliance with public office incompatibility rules. Subsequent reports suggested MP’s Solverde paid €4,500 monthly to Spinumviva. After news stories, censures from Chega and PCP, both rejected, and PS’s inquiry commission, the prime minister proposed a vote of confidence on March 5.
The proposal was rejected, with PS, Chega, BE, PCP, Livre, and PAN’s single representative, Inês Sousa Real, voting against it. PSD, CDS-PP, and Iniciativa Liberal voted in favor. Following the rejected confidence motion, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dissolved the National Assembly, calling legislative elections for May 18.
