If there is an unquestionable victory in the local elections, it goes directly to the PSD, which today boasts the enviable trophy of the presidency of the National Association of Municipalities. The PSD is, as we know, in the national context the party with the largest number of Chambers.
But if there is a half victory in this municipal electoral process, it belongs entirely to the Socialist Party and José Luís Carneiro.
And this half victory lies in the recovery that, with these elections, the PS made of its original ideological political matrix, emerging from the hecatomb of the last legislative elections in which the PS was on the verge of extinction. Alexandra Leitão’s failure in Lisbon is also the burial of extremist theses, the dismantling of what remains of António Costa’s “contraption” and the defeat of his “muchachos” who still proliferate throughout the PS and try to drag him into politically inconsequential solutions. What did BE and Mariana Mortágua bring to Alexandra Leitão’s candidacy other than a component of toxic assets that made her lose votes?
This half victory for the PS is proof that the Portuguese want a moderate, sensible, ideologically responsible PS located at the center of the national political spectrum. They want a PS that is close to people, that is in touch with their most pressing needs and that makes its contribution to solving the countless national problems that persist in Portuguese society.
José Luis Carneiro now has the courage and determination to lead the party in accordance with what has always been its ideological matrix, established by historical PS figures such as Mário Soares and Salgado Zenha.
Moderation, responsibility, wisdom, people before the primacy of ideology, the attention and care given to the desires of the populations that gave the PS this half victory that represents for José Luis Carneiro a new level of responsibility in the management of the PS. Carneiro now has to be decisive in his choices, bringing new staff to the PS, modernizing its structures, looking for new qualified leaders, launching the PS, once again, in the logic of a party close to the people. Clearing away the “clutter” is a vital exercise to put the PS in the national spotlight and take it to the level of aspiration to once again belong to the universe of a government solution. Continue to collaborate with the Government in the search for the best solutions, fight for the affirmation of socialist proposals as done in the State Budget. And announce, as he will soon do, the name of António José Seguro as PS presidential candidate. José Luis Carneiro’s degree of affirmation will determine the success of his future as socialist general secretary.
As for the PSD’s total victory, it represents a new level of responsibility for Luís Montenegro. The result of these local elections was for Montenegro a positive endorsement from the Portuguese population regarding the policy followed. Naturally, there are no complete extrapolations from municipal to legislative, but we know well that, traditionally, the Portuguese people have the habit of including in their municipal choices an assessment of the government in office. A reality that António Guterres knows well.
Therefore, Montenegro now enters a new level of demand in Government action. It has a new soul force of a political nature to resume, but in fact resume, with tangible results, the resolution of the problems that persist in the country. It is never too much to remember that housing continues to lack solutions that the Portuguese see as decisive and with good results. Health does not find a path of stability and availability that provides comfort and efficiency to Portuguese people who need to go to a public hospital. Administrative modernization must begin to have tangible results and not promises of success within four years when the legislature comes to an end.
With these local elections, with this total victory for the PSD and this half victory for the PS, those responsible for the two parties now face new challenges in the positions they hold. Montenegro will lose the next legislative elections if the government’s performance does not record new results that are clearly visible to the eyes of the population. As for José Luis Carneiro, he will be forced to leave the leadership of the PS if he does not have the courage and determination to restore the PS to its original political matrix.
Journalist
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