In Évora, during a local campaign initiative, Luís Montenegro was questioned about statements from former PSD leader Pedro Passos Coelho, who suggested there should be no red lines concerning potential agreements with Chega in local governance.
Montenegro initially stated that he has no issue listening to opinions, whether they come from political opponents—when asked about José Luís Carneiro’s challenge to converse more with the PS—or from “party colleagues.”
“I hear their opinions, but we have our own. We hold our convictions, our strategic sense, and we enter local elections to win and govern, with conditions for governability to be primarily granted by the people,” he asserted.
When pressed by journalists about whether he would establish a red line for PSD candidates regarding post-electoral understandings with Chega, as the PS has done, he replied, “It’s not worth trying to introduce noise into our focus.”
“It’s noise, complete noise, because we’re focused on providing solutions to the problems people want solved in each parish, in each municipality. As the PSD president, I must also say we’re focused on this at the governmental level,” he stated.
Directly asked if Pedro Passos Coelho’s words were also noise, the leader said he wanted to be straightforward, asking for respect for his opinion.
“In these days, what the PSD candidates should do is present their projects, their solutions for people’s real problems (…) Everything else is politicking and not meant to strengthen the connection with people,” he remarked.
Regarding the PS leader’s challenge to converse more with socialists and less with Chega, Montenegro said he doesn’t have “the audacity” to advise José Luís Carneiro.
“I don’t have the audacity to advise him because I assume everyone has their priorities and goals clearly defined, as do I,” he commented.
Pedro Passos Coelho’s statements were made during a campaign event for PSD candidate Marco Almeida in Sintra.
The PSD leader was also questioned about his agreement with the need to revise the local electoral law, as advocated by the PS secretary-general.
“In the PSD, we’ve presented more than once proposals for changes, either to deepen competencies or to modify the governance model, but the goal should only be to enhance management capabilities and problem-solving within municipalities’ scope,” he stated.
However, Montenegro deemed that “three or four days before the elections is not the right time for that.”
“Following the electoral act, parties can and should envisage such changes for future electoral cycles,” he considered.
As part of the local campaign, Luís Montenegro visited Vendas Novas this morning, where he expressed the ambition to win for the first time, and Évora.
During a conversation with candidate Henrique Sim-Sim, supported by PSD, CDS-PP, and PPM, Montenegro expressed his ambition to win in all three district capitals of Alentejo: Évora, Beja, and Portalegre.
The candidate promised to give him an Alentejo-style coat if he wins, from a shop Montenegro has visited twice during the campaign, leaving empty-handed each time.
