The municipal elections were a central topic in Parliament today during the political statements session held this afternoon, sparking a heated exchange of arguments, particularly among PS, PSD, and Chega.
Eurico Brilhante Dias, the parliamentary leader of PS, stated that the socialists received “400,000 more votes” in these municipal elections than in the general elections, where the party experienced “one of its worst results ever.” He emphasized that, “in the eyes of the Portuguese,” PS is seen as “the only alternative to the right-wing bloc governing this country.”
Brilhante Dias viewed “victories and electoral defeats as fortunately always transitional phases in democracy,” highlighting the trust of “over 1.8 million voters, approximately the same number as in 2021,” and noting that it was the party that “won the most municipalities on its own, without coalitions.”
In response, PSD’s parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, argued that the socialist leader should have “respected and congratulated the sole winner, which is PSD,” and expressed hope that the socialists would continue to “celebrate Pyrrhic victories.”
“For a brief moment, I thought I was listening to the PCP from that bench. They are always the ones who win. I wasn’t used to these PS victories,” he remarked, advising PS to “show humility” and suggesting it would have been better if the party led by José Luís Carneiro had “once and for all, accepted defeat.”
Regarding Chega, Eurico Brilhante Dias noted that “PS has today 40 times more city councils than the far-right party in parliament.”
“The irony speaks for itself. Chega was the big loser, suffering a heavy electoral defeat on October 12, 2025,” he claimed.
The PS parliamentary leader, addressing the Chega benches, said it was “a pleasure” to see many who ran as Chega candidates for councils “sitting here defeated.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, seen up close, at the local level, voters push you away from power, they set aside Chega,” he asserted.
In response, Chega’s parliamentary leader, Pedro Pinto, called the PS’s statement the “comic part of the debate” and highlighted the increase in Chega’s votes and elected officials, as well as their conquest of three councils.
Pedro Pinto argued that PS lost the elections and referenced Carneiro’s election night comment: “PS is back to losing elections again.”
