“What does Luís Montenegro want with the elections? He seeks an acquittal and aims to put voters in the place of judges. He wants us to say that none of this matters, that everything is normal, and that is what he is trying to tell us,” stated Rui Tavares regarding the controversy surrounding the former company of Prime Minister and PSD candidate, Luís Montenegro, which led to the government’s fall.
At the Cascais Market in the Lisbon district, the location chosen by the party to launch the electoral campaign, the Livre spokesperson argued that Luís Montenegro cannot place voters before a poll and ask for acquittal, asserting that in the Portuguese democratic system, acquittal belongs to another authority.
In his view, Luís Montenegro aims to normalize such behavior, emphasizing that a prime minister cannot have such a company.
“He wants the Portuguese to say: yes, it’s normal, ethics are for the Scandinavians; here in Portugal, we must accept that all politicians, in one way or another, have these confusions and schemes,” he stressed.
He added: “Just imagine what it would mean for Luís Montenegro to emerge from these elections with an acquittal? Regarding anything more severe that might be uncovered, he would claim the voters already decided, there is nothing more to see, let’s move on.”
According to Rui Tavares, the country is “at a very serious crossroads for ethical standards in governance,” and poor ethical governance yields poor practical results as well.
Rui Tavares highlighted that by not resigning, Luís Montenegro forced his recandidacy and pushed the country into “a tunnel at the end of which there would have to be elections.”
