José Luís Carneiro refrained from confirming on Tuesday night whether he supports António José Seguro’s candidacy for the presidential elections.
When questioned by a journalist about supporting the PS candidate for President of the Republic, the candidate for the party’s secretary-general position attempted to sidestep the issue, stating that his “priority continues to be the municipal elections.”
“The party’s victory in the municipal elections is vital to reassert itself as the most important party in the country in what is the public service structure,” he continued, affirming, in response to the journalist’s insistence, that the decision to support the candidate depends on the decision “of the party bodies that will decide at the appropriate time whom they will support.”
“My will has ceased to be an individual will to become one of interpreting the collective interest,” he concluded.
José Luís Carneiro also commented on the government’s program presentation in the Assembly of the Republic yesterday, stating that as the opposition, “we will oppose any attempts that undermine core values and principles,” and expressed “repudiation” of the fact that two proposals not mentioned during the campaign were presented, namely “the modification of labor laws and the change in the basic health law.”
He also expressed willingness to support the government in measures that ensure “the defense of a public National Health Service (SNS), for the protection and social security guaranteed by the State, and for a public school that promotes responsible citizenship committed to the values of the Republic.”
José Luís Carneiro is the sole candidate for secretary-general of the Socialist Party, following Pedro Nuno Santos’s resignation. Regarding his candidacy, he stated that he decided to make himself available to the party only after the election results were known and after Pedro Nuno chose to step away from the party’s leadership.
