The internal elections of the Socialist Party (PS), with José Luís Carneiro as the sole candidate for secretary-general, commence today, featuring votes across most federations, with only six scheduled for Saturday.
The elections were prompted by the resignation of Pedro Nuno Santos from the role of PS secretary-general, following the party’s significant defeat in the snap legislative elections a little over a month ago. This defeat reduced the socialist parliamentary representation to 58 deputies, making it the third largest force in parliament.
Today, PS members cast their votes across 15 of the party’s 21 federations. The remaining six districts, including the Azores, Algarve, Braga, Coimbra, Porto, and Viseu, will vote on Saturday.
On Saturday, José Luís Carneiro will cast his vote in the afternoon at the PS/Baião municipal headquarters and will make a statement in Largo do Rato, Lisbon, in the evening.
In one of his final campaign actions on Thursday, Carneiro expressed surprise at the participation of party members, supporters, and civil society in election-related initiatives nationwide.
“The electoral results were unexpected, but there was a significant movement across the country, with many members and supporters eager to evaluate these results, the causes behind them, and to focus the PS agenda on current public concerns,” Carneiro remarked.
The prospective PS leader identified “three priorities” from his national tour: salaries and incomes, housing, and healthcare.
Following the electoral setback, the deputy and former minister indicated his readiness to serve both the PS and Portugal through a statement, emphasizing the need for the party to engage in “deep reflection” and inaugurate a new cycle.
Notable figures such as former ministers Duarte Cordeiro, Fernando Medina, Mariana Vieira da Silva, along with former leadership candidate Daniel Adrião and former Secretary of State Miguel Prata Roque, withdrew from the race, leaving José Luís Carneiro as the only candidate.
During his candidacy announcement, José Luís Carneiro called for internal unity within the party, avoiding “reciprocal blows” and introspection, while pledging to refrain from “personal and superficial attacks in public forums.”
He also promised that under his leadership, the PS would be “determined and energetic in the opposition” against perceived setbacks, while not hesitating to “promote democratic consensus.”
The socialist leader aims to “rethink the PS and its relationship with the country,” advocating for “democratic consensus” in five areas of sovereignty, including “an electoral reform beginning with municipalities.”
José Luís Carneiro stressed that the PS sets its priority hierarchy, with municipal elections being the primary focus, and remarked on the 2026 presidential elections that “everything in due time.”
Without mentioning former PS leader António José Seguro, who announced his candidacy for the presidency that week, José Luís Carneiro noted that “the municipal elections will take place at the end of September or early October” while “the presidential elections are scheduled for 2026.”
