Ana Gomes, a Portuguese socialist commentator, stated on Sunday that Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has “made a pact with the devil,” with its repercussions already impacting governance. She claims that the Chega party is effectively controlling the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
“We are witnessing various issues that, in my opinion, arise from a Faustian pact, a pact with the devil, made by Luís Montenegro after the last elections. This explains why André Ventura has abandoned threats of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into Spinumviva. As a result, Chega dictates the political agenda of the PSD and, ultimately, the country,” she said during her regular commentary segment on SIC Notícias.
The commentator also noted that “even this week, the Prime Minister expressed that Ventura seemed to be more politically responsible,” cautioning that “Ventura is a master of duplicity,” reminding that “a few months ago, he referred to the PSD as a political prostitute.”
“We are seeing and suffering the governance consequences. Regarding the foreign nationals law, I mentioned last week that the President of the Republic should refer it to the Constitutional Court, and fortunately, he did. In my view, it was not just a power he had, but a duty,” she noted.
José Pacheco Pereira, a member of the Social Democratic Party, expressed that the government members “are all of confession and mass but forget a fundamental element, which is charity.” He also accused the government of showing “enormous arrogance” in handling the foreign nationals law process, which “discriminates by financial means.”
Ana Gomes recalled that “even the Church highlighted the absurdity of complicating family reunification,” as well as “introducing unacceptable discrimination between poor immigrants and wealthy immigrants, since for those with golden visas, there are no restrictions on family reunification.”
“We are talking about people on the far-right and right, who spoke a lot about family,” she remarked.
The socialist also referenced the new Citizenship and Development curriculum, criticizing the removal of sexual education, calling it “regressive, reactionary, and, as Dr. Daniel Sampaio says, not an issue of ideology, but a matter of science and avoiding unwanted adolescent pregnancies and greater transmission of STDs.”
Regarding changes to labor laws, Ana Gomes highlighted the “unacceptable regression in relation to gestational mourning,” describing it as “incredibly cruel,” along with “the overall atmosphere of hatred and intimidation, which is even affecting foreigners living among us.”
Carlos Abreu Amorim, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, clarified on Saturday that “there is no enduring agreement” with Chega after admitting that the government had established “a preliminary agreement” with André Ventura’s party. The Secretary-General of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, therefore urged the Prime Minister “to tell the truth.”
Luís Montenegro’s rhetoric towards André Ventura has shifted over time. The “no means no” stance imposed by the Prime Minister towards Chega dates back to the early elections in 2024, a principle he maintained for this year’s elections during a face-off with André Ventura. In that debate, he reiterated it was “impossible” to govern with Chega because the party “lacks consistent thinking,” “behaves like a political weathercock,” and “lacks maturity and decency.” During the televised debate, the Prime Minister also accused André Ventura of having “a destructive tendency” and lacking “a vocation for governance.”
