Pedro Nuno Santos labels PM’s ‘open house’ event “unacceptable”
The official electoral campaign has not yet begun, but fur is already flying.
Following on from the tightly controlled exchange of insults at last night’s political head-to-head, PS secretary-general, Pedro Nuno Santos, today accused the government of using public money to campaign, criticising the Democratic Alliance’s (AD) “São Bento em Família” event (an open-house, with music celebrated today, instead of on the April 25 Bank Holiday, due to the three days the country declared mourning for the death of Pope Francis)..
“The lack of seriousness of the AD government knows no bounds”, said the PS leader, already in the Azores for a lunchtime rally in the pre-campaign for looming elections in 18 days time.
“This Government, in the middle of an election campaign (sic) uses public money and public resources to campaign. The spectacle we are witnessing today in São Bento is unacceptable,” he said
The socialist leader was referring to the “São Bento em família” event, which resulted from the postponement, due to the death of Pope Francis, of celebrations planned for the Prime Minister’s official residence.
Pedro Nuno Santos criticised the stance of Luís Montenegro, who was “singing with Tony Carreira”, and considered that the AD has no respect for April 25.
The PS secretary general compared the name of that event with the television program “Conversas em Família”, by Marcelo Caetano, broadcast during the Estado Novo.
“We have a government that is not serious and has no shame in the way it relates to the people,” he said, suggesting even the title of the event was reminiscent of a television programme from the era of Portugal’s authoritarian Estado Novo regime.
Mr Nuno Santos then went over the old ground of other examples in which, he believes, the government shows a “lack of seriousness” – such as the announcement of the reduction of IRS at the beginning of the legislature and changes to income tax withholding tables.
Says Lusa, “Pedro Nuno Santos once again classified Luís Montenegro as the “main factor of political instability” due to cases that “personally involve” the prime minister.
“If Luís Montenegro were to win, which will not happen, we would continue to live in a situation of political instability and at the slightest crisis what he would do is what he did, throwing the country into elections”, said the PS leader, who then went on to praise the role of women and the elderly in society, and insist on the importance of “governing for everyone” (a slogan that was actually used by Mr Montenegro in his victory speech after winning the last elections…).
“We want to focus our fiscal efforts on reducing VAT on food products to zero. To zero!” Pedro Nuno Santos told his audience.
Part of the reason for Pedro Nuno Santos’ visit to the Azores appears linked with the party’s desire to persuade voters that a vote for any of the other left-leaning parties on the archipelago is a wasted ballot paper.
“We all know that Livre, BE, PAN and CDU are far from being able to elect a deputy in the Azores. Voting for the PS in the Azores and not for these parties is the vote that counts. It is the vote that can make a difference. It is a single vote that can prevent CHEGA from being elected,” Francisco César, leader of PS/Azores and head of the list in the archipelago told the assembled throng.
In the last elections, in March last year, the Azores was won by the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition, campaigning as AD, with 39.84% of the votes. These elected two MPs. PS Socialists clinched 29.18% of the votes, and also elected two MPs, while CHEGA managed 15.76%, earning it one MP, Miguel Arruda – the man who surprised everyone by allegedly stealing airport passengers’ suitcases at both Lisbon airport and the Azores, and then apparently selling the contents on second-hand sites online. Arruda left CHEGA when this scandal came to light, and is now facing eight charges of qualified theft. ND
Source material: LUSA
