The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (PS), José Luís Carneiro, are set to meet this Wednesday. The meeting details such as time and location remain undisclosed, but it marks the second meeting between Montenegro and the new PS Secretary-General.
Their initial meeting in early June was initiated by Montenegro to discuss Defense investments. However, Carneiro had previously expressed his intention to seek an audience with the Prime Minister, hoping the Government would open up to broader discussions with the PS.
“We are waiting for the Government’s initiative because it is up to the Government to take that initiative,” Carneiro stated in early July following his election as PS leader and after meeting with the President in Belém. At the time, Carneiro aimed to commence institutional dialogue on sovereignty areas such as foreign and European policy, defense, security, justice, and state organization.
It should be noted that Luís Montenegro met with the leaders of Chega and PS in June to discuss Defense investments, part of Portugal’s preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands. After this discussion, the PS Secretary-General urged the Prime Minister to negotiate with the socialists on a proposal for a ‘Strategic Agreement for a National Development and Defense Capability Plan’ with a three-month timeline.
The relationship between the AD and PS has been tense recently, particularly following the approval of immigration legislation alongside Chega. Last week, José Luís Carneiro wrote in the Público newspaper that “no means no has become history.” Montenegro responded, stating that his focus in government is on “solving people’s problems” rather than being distracted by “what others are saying.”
