The People’s Monarchist Party (PPM) has announced that its decision, made unanimously during the National Council meeting last Friday, has been communicated to the public today.
Paulo Estêvão, 56, originally from Serpa in the Beja district, served as PPM’s president from 2010 to 2017 and currently holds the position of the party’s secretary-general.
Estêvão is also part of the current Regional Government of the Azores, a coalition executive comprised of PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM, where he is the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary and Community Affairs.
Contacted by Lusa, Paulo Estêvão stated he is not part of any candidate list for the anticipated legislative elections in May. He emphasized his current role in the Azorean Regional Government under the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition framework.
Estêvão noted that the Constitution does not prohibit someone who has not been elected as a deputy from being appointed prime minister.
The Constitution states that the prime minister “is appointed by the President of the Republic after consulting with parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic and considering the election results.”
According to PPM, its “candidate for prime minister will represent the party in debates, interviews, and other events related to the upcoming national legislative elections with a national character.”
“The leading candidates across the 22 national electoral districts will ensure our representation in debates focusing on regional themes,” adds the PPM.
Unlike previous legislative and European elections, the PPM will not join forces with the PSD and CDS-PP in the upcoming elections on May 18.
Between 2008 and 2024, Paulo Estêvão, a graduate in History with a teaching specialization from the University of Évora, served as a PPM deputy in the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
On April 28, the PSD and CDS-PP announced through daily newspapers that the coalition on the mainland and in Madeira will be named “AD — Aliança Democrática — PSD/CDS,” while in the Azores it will continue using the name “PSD/CDS/PPM,” as in previous elections.
The PPM has threatened to file a precautionary measure at the beginning of this week to prevent the use of the name “Aliança Democrática” by the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, citing “serious harm.”
The Constitutional Court denied the application by the PSD/CDS-PP coalition to use the name “AD – Aliança Democrática – PSD/CDS” in the upcoming legislative elections, citing an “unquestionable risk of misleading voters.”
