🇵🇹 Portugal's politics and elections 2.0

[Mike88]

Controversy as the Constitutional Court labels the possible transfer of the Court from Lisbon to Coimbra as "discrediting". Parliament to vote Friday on the matter:

https://twitter.com/observadorpt/status/1438072768919183362

“Serious discredit”. Counselor judges give a negative opinion on the transfer of TC to Coimbra

Parliament is set to discuss and vote, this Thursday and Friday, a PSD bill that would transfer the Constitutional Court (TC) from Lisbon to Coimbra. This is a flag policy for PSD leader Rui Rio and has been supported, in the past, by many including current PM António Costa. But, the Court's judges are furious, or at least a majority of them. In a ruling about the possible change, the judges reject the idea of changing cities and say that any change would in fact "contribute more to discredit the Court". They refuse the arguments of the PSD, that says the German Court is not in Berlin f.e., saying it would "diminish the authority of the Court" as it was a decision taken by politicians. The Court also rejects the argument that Coimbra is a University city where there is a strong tradition of law teaching, saying that this isn't proven. However, this ruling wasn't unanimous and at least 3 judges voted against, with one of them, that teaches law in Coimbra, saying the wording in the ruling is "insulting".

Party leaders have also reacted to the ruling. PSD leader Rui Rio trashed the ruling saying the Court only left out saying it doesn't wasn't to go to the countryside, and that it's sad that the country looks at itself like this. However, he's still optimistic that the bill will pass. The PS also reacted by saying they will probably abstain in the vote, adding they are not against the proposal but criticized the PSD for not saying how much this would cost.

[Mike88]

2021 local election numbers:

The Interior ministry announced, yesterday, the final number of registered voters: 9,323,688. Of these, 29,814 are foreign registered voters: 13,924 from EU countries and 15,890 from countries outside the EU. In terms of precincts, like in the January elections, there will be an increased and there will be a total of 13,821 precincts across the country, with an average of 675 voters in each one.

On 26 September, polls will close at 8pm, one hour later than previous elections because of the pandemic, but exit polls and results can only be presented at 9pm, when polls in the Azores close. So, it will be a late election.

[Mike88]

2021 local election campaign update:

- PAN leader, Inês Sousa Real, has been receiving death threats on social media, and also insults. The PAN leader has already sent a complaint to the DA office. She added that she had received insults in the past but that her complaints were dismissed by the DA office;

- PM Costa is hitting the campaign trail and he's promissing a lot of money and new infrastructures in every city he's campaigning. Last night, the PM was in Coimbra city, where PS and PSD are neck and neck, and promissed a new maternity hospital in 3 weeks and he forecast that the PS would win the city again;

- The PSD is trashing and mocking the PM's promisses with PSD leader Rui Rio accusing Costa of "shamelessness" for promissing now things he hasn't delivered in the past. The PSD has also been trashing Costa in the EU Parliament after the PSD MEP Paulo Rangel said, in a speech in Strasbourg, that Costa is using the Recovery Plan to gain votes in the local elections;

- CHEGA, on the other hand, is attacking the PSD and warning the Social Democrats that they will be forced to make coalitions with CHEGA after the local elections. Ventura also had a mix of good and bad news yesterday: A second instance Court ruled that Ventura in fact insulted a family, accusing them of being thugs, and that he has to apologize or face a daily penalty of 500 euros. At the same time, the DA office dismissed the accusation that CHEGA forged several signatures in order to be legalized on the grounds that there aren't enough evidences of that;

- The debates are finally over in the 3 main networks (RTP, SIC, TVI). Yesterday, it was the last debate, the Lisbon debate, with all 12 candidates running for the election.

[Mike88]

It seems that in Figueira da Foz, RTP has cancelled the publication of a poll because of "errors" in the sample. Of course, Santana Lopes campaign is already trashing RTP and the polling company UCP-CESOP and demands an explanation.

I don't recall actually a major polling company cancelling a poll because of sample "errors". This seems to be a first. Just to show how crazy the campaign in Figueira is right now.

[Mike88]

Controversy as the Constitutional Court labels the possible transfer of the Court from Lisbon to Coimbra as "discrediting". Parliament to vote Friday on the matter:

Parliament approves the PSD proposal with just 93 votes in favour. PSD, CDS, IL and 8 PS MPs votes in favour. The rest of PS MPs abstained as did MPs from BE, CDU and Independent MPs. Only CHEGA and PAN voted against. The bill now goes down to a parliamentary committee in order to approve the final draft, but the PS has already said that they have reservations about moving the Court to Coimbra, because of costs and benefits, and the leftwing parties, BE and CDU, accuse the PSD of an electoral stunt.

Parliament also approved, with the votes of the leftwing and the PSD abstention, the government's proposal to reduce fuel producers profit margins in the price of fuel. This policy isn't consensual with the rightwing accusing the government of just presenting a "makeup measure" and forgeting that what really pushes the price of fuel up is the big tax burden. The government refuses the opposition claims and they say that with this policy, gasoline prices could fall 9 cents and diesel prices 1 cent. However, during the vote there was a tense moment. One of the proposal presented by the opposition, CDS, demanded the government to reduce the fuel tax and for brief seconds this was approved because BE voted in favour. BE immediately understood their mistake and retracted their vote, defeating the CDS bill.

[Mike88]

Costa and the "warning" of the Electoral Commission about the Recovery Plan (PRR): PM should be neutral but specialists say that Costa only acts like this because of the very weak opposition.

https://twitter.com/dntwit/status/1439019347708502016

Costa and the PRR are an unavoidable sponge cake. Opposition should focus on splitting the slices

The ongoing campaign for the local elections, which pundits are labeling "boring" and "lame", has been dominated by the PM's speeches about the EU Recovery Plan and if it's right for the PM to use the plan in benefit of the PS campaign. The opposition is criticizing, daily, the PM for his constant promisses or policies regarding the plan, and the Electoral Commission (CNE) gave a "warning" to Costa saying he should be neutral in announcing stuff during the campaign, but will only act if someone issues a complaint, which hasn't happened yet. Pundits and specialists say it's normal for a PM, specially in midterm local elections, to push for massive plans but the fact that some PS candidates are using the plan as a way to sway voters in supporting the PS, highlighting that their "close relationship with Costa" would give more money to their towns, is censored by pundits/experts who point out that such positions can even hurt the government with accusations, or suspicions, of patronage or apparatus.

But, if this is controversial is mainly because of how weak the opposition is, pundits and experts say. Insted of discussing where will "the slices" go, the opposition seems to be more interested in pointing to the "populist" message of the PM rather than discussing the plan itself, which isn't consensual and even President Marcelo, in private, says it's a weak plan. Pundits say that Costa can act and get away like this because the opposition let's him, and that no one expects a "yellow card" to the government, but rather a "red card" for the opposition. Costa refuses any accusations of "electoralism" or "populism" and even after the "warning" of the CNE, he continues pushinging for the plan in each rally he attends.  

[Mike88]

Tense moments in some places during the campaign:

- In Palmela, a CDS candidate for that same parish was received with gun shots while she, and others, where placing campaign posters in a street. According to the candidate, a motorcycle with two individuals dressed in black, approached the CDS team and started firing shots. Another two shots were fired, but they hit a house which created panic in the residents. The police is now searching for these individuals;

- In Santa Maria da Feira, the house of the PS candidate for a local parish, São João de Ver, was vandalized. The street wall of the house of Filipe Oliveira was vandalized with the words "Give up SOB". Mr Oliveira says that he's very saddened by what happened and that a line was crossed today with the vandalization of his house;

Also, CHEGA is about to remove a candidate:

- CHEGA is on the verge of removing the party's candidate for São Brás de Alportel, Algarve, because of racist comments he made against PM Costa. During a debate for the city's mayoral race, the candidate seemed confused and not making sense when he called António Costa "a vengeful Indian" and said that because President Sampaio was in hospital "someone may have stolen some State secrets from him". The district party is furious with the candidate and his removal from the race is on the table.

[Mike88]

2021 local election campaign: Campaign posters:

PAN - Lisbon city
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1437007109342863361

Lisbon is in your hands. On 26 September vote PAN

Isaltino Morais Independent campaign - Oeiras city
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1436302335484043265

Isaltino is Inovate

PS - Paredes city
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1434937290837606410

President of rigor and truth. Alexandre Almeida.

PSD/CDS/PPM - Aveiro city
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1428428487841435653

Alliance with Aveiro 2021. Ribau Esteves

PSD/CDS - Guimarães city
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1428324465126133771

New Energy. Bruno Fernandes Guimarães 2021

CHEGA - Cascais city
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1428320828400275458

Increasingly CHEGA (Enough) Cascais

PS - Gondomar city:
https://twitter.com/ArquivoEphemera/status/1428032646257467394

The force of change

Posters from the twitter page of Ephemera archive.

[Mike88]

Gaffe of CDU candidate for Almada city, Maria das Dores Meira, when she says the wrong city...

https://twitter.com/expresso/status/1439331085008228356

Appealing to the “Setubalenses” ... in Almada: “Sorry, this is not yet in place”

(...)
Things even seemed to be going well when, nine minutes into the speech, Dores Meira then begins to enunciate the work done, in the past, by the communist mayors who, between 1976 and 2017, managed the destinies of Almada. He even recalled "the Liberty Square and the Forum Romeu Correia, made for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of Setubal". Ups. There is a movement of arms in the front row and not even the masks erase the voices of the audience that shouts: "Almadenses, Almadenses". António Manuel Ribeiro, leader of the UHF and supporter of the candidate, also shakes his hands in the air. It is he who sings "Somos de Almada", the official anthem of the campaign that was distributed, in CD format, at the start of the rally.

From the pulpit, there is no possible escape. The candidate who was going to follow the speech is forced to take a forced break. Breathe. "I'm sorry, I'm very sorry, but this isn't in place yet." And she manages to recover the thread of the skein and even reinforce attacks on socialist opponents. The people are serene and do not fail to follow Dores Meira's speech and, in the end, applaud her. Mistakes happen, everyone knows. But there are some more annoying than others. And this one didn't go well.

Awkward...

[Mike88]

IPOM poll for Braga city - PSD/CDS/PPM incumbent, 193,000 inhabitants:

Vote share %: (compared with 2017)

55.5% PSD/CDS/PPM/Alliance (+3.4)
23.3% PS (-4.6)
  5.3% BE (+0.5)
  5.1% CDU (-4.5)
  2.7% CHEGA (new)
  1.6% PAN (new)
  0.8% IL (new)
  0.4% Livre (new)
  5.3% Others/Invalid (-0.3)

Poll conducted between 13 and 16 September 2021. Polled 796 voters in Braga city. MoE of 3.50%.

[Mike88]

2021 local election campaign update:

- PM Costa is on a massive crisscross campaign tour, this weekend, in the North of the country, mainly in Braga and Porto districts. The Prime Minister is campaigning with the Recovery Plan in his pocket and hoping the plan will help PS candidates in the region, mainly in Braga district where the PS has been losing ground in the last few years. Costa held several rallies were he promissed millions of euros is investments, and asked voters to elect the PS candidates in order to implement the Recovery Plan in their municipalities;

PM Costa in a rally in Barcelos city

- PSD leader Rui Rio spent the weekend, also in the North, between the districts of Viana do Castelo and Porto. In Viana, he crisscrossed the district starting in the city of Viana and ending in Ponte de Lima, a CDS bastion, where he was received with fireworks and a lot of supporters. Mr Rio talked about the promisses of Costa saying he's promissing stuff he cannot deliver, warned about the high energy prices and talked about the laments of many business owners he has been talking to that say that they cannot hire people because of the social supports people don't want to lose;

Rui Rio at a rally in Ponte de Lima city

- CDU leader, Jerónimo de Sousa, spent the weekend in the Lisbon area and went to the big PCP rally in Almada where the Communist-Green alliance candidate made a "gaffe" that has become a bit viral. But Jerónimo railled against the PS accusing them of being in the "pocket of big corporate interests" and are aligned with PSD/CDS. He adds that only a strong vote on CDU can bent the PS;

Jerónimo de Sousa and Maria das Dores Meira at a rally in Almada city

- BE leader, Catarina Martins, said she's surprised by how bad the PS reacts to criticisms. In a campaign stop in Póvoa de Varzim, my hometown, she criticized the recovery plan and said that in democracy it's normal to be critical and discuss things, so she finds it weird that the Socialists are so furious when someone tries to challenge them;

- CDS leader, Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, campaigned in Coimbra city with the PSD/CDS candidate for that city, José Manuel Silva. Coimbra is currently one of the closest PS vs PSD battles in the country. In Coimbra, Rodrigues dos Santos commented on the gun shot incident against a CDS candidate in Palmela saying they were conducted by "extremist forces" and that Portugal cannot go back to the chaotic years of the PREC (1974-1975);

- CHEGA leader André Ventura took part in a chaotic and very rapid campaign event in Porto city, that only lasted 20 minutes. In his quick campaign stop in Porto, Ventura accused the minister of Health, Marta Temido, of violating campaign rules by going to a PS campaign event in her ministerial car;

André Ventura's campaign events during the weekend

- IL leader João Cotrim Figueiredo campaigned with Porto mayor, Rui Moreira, this Saturday. IL is supporting the Independent mayor of Porto 3rd election bid, and criticized Costa use of the Recovery Plan as a election tool. Rui Moreira, on Friday, accused the presence of government ministers in the campaign as a "Salazarist" move from the government;

- PAN leader Inês Sousa Real campaigned in Porto district and warned about the high costs of energy, and added that it's not by increasing the electricity bill that we fight climate change. She proposed tax cuts for families in the electricity bill, dismantle the EDP energy monopoly and tax those who indeed have polluting activities;

[Mike88]

Controversy as PM Costa "flip-flops" on the closing of the Galp refinery in Matosinhos, when in May he said it was good for the environment the shutdown of the refinery:

https://twitter.com/ECO_PT/status/1439964019981524992

“Cynicism” or “Chavismo”? Costa under fire after giving "lesson" to Galp

During his massive crisscross weekend tour in the North of Portugal, Costa held a rally in Matosinhos city and he trashed Galp company, the main petrol company in Portugal, because of the shutdown of the oil refinery in the same city. Costa accused Galp of "so much nonsense, so much insensitivity, so much irresponsibility and so much lack of solidarity" adding that the company needs a "lesson". These remarks are being trashed in the media, by parties left to right and by workers unions. The main reason is that last May, Costa said the exact opposite: In May 2021, Costa said the shutdown of the refinery was a good thing as it will help in the fight against climate change. Parties on the left are trashing Costa for flip-flopping and of trying to mask the fact that he is Prime Minister and that the State still has a 7% share in the company. Parties on the right accuse Costa of attacking a private company and of bluntly lying in order to gain votes. Workers unions are also furious as they accuse the PM of using the social drama of the shutdown of the refinery in order to gain votes and that he did nothing to ease the job losses the shutdown will create.

[Mike88]

UCP–CESOP poll for Coimbra city - PS incumbent, 141,000 inhabitants:

Vote share %: (compared with 2017)

35% PSD/CDS/PPM/Volt/RIR/Alliance/NC (+8)*
33% PS (-2)
11% CpC (+4)
  7% CDU (-1)
  4% CHEGA (new)
  3% IL (new)
  2% PAN (nc)
  5% Others/Invalid (nc)

Poll conducted between 18 and 19 September 2021. Polled 780 voters in Coimbra city. MoE of 3.50%.

*Compared with the 27% of the Coalition in 2017. The current PSD/CDS candidate got 16% as an independent in 2017.

[Mike88]

Official election page already up:

https://www.autarquicas2021.mai.gov.pt/afluencia

This page will post results on election night, plus give updates, during election day, of how turnout is going. The full list of candidates is also posted on the page.

[Mike88]

UCP–CESOP poll for Porto city - Independent incumbent, 232,000 inhabitants:

Vote share %: (compared with the 2017 election results)

45% Rui Moreira (+1)
17% PS (-12)
14% PSD (+4)
  7% CDU (+1)
  4% BE (-1)
  3% PAN (+1)
  3% CHEGA (new)
  1% Livre (new)
  1% Volt Portugal (new)
  5% Others/Invalid (+2)

Poll conducted between 16 and 19 September 2021. Polled 1,041 voters in Porto city. MoE of 3.00%

[Mike88]

2021 local election campaign update:

With just 3 more days of campaigning left, party leaders are rapping up their cases.

- António Costa campaigned today in Alcácer do Sal, Setúbal. This city is controlled by CDU since 2013, and the PS wants it back. Costa refused the criticisms that he's using government apparatus to gain votes and also commented about the ongoing controversy about his "flip flop" regarding the shutdown of the Matosinhos oil refinery. The PM said he's only being trashed because the elections is in 5 days, and that Galp did really failled on everything, adding that reducing carbon emissions needs to be done in a way that safeguards people's jobs. He ended his day with a rally in Évora city, a PS target;

- PSD leader, Rui Rio, was in Fafe and Póvoa de Varzim today. The first is a PS stronghold where the PSD only won an election in 1976, and the second a big PSD stronghold. Rio said he's confident about the PSD chances next Sunday, and that he's hearing a lot of support for his party, and himself, in the streets. Yesterday, Rio mocked Costa's crisscross campaign tour saying he's like a machine gun that is firing at everywhere he passes;

- Catarina Martins, BE leader, trashed PS and PSD, accusing Costa of promissing investments he never delivered in the past and also the PSD for only being worried about their internal issues and not having ideas and a plan for the country;

- PCP leader Jerónimo de Sousa spent the day in Évora district, where he held small meetings with voters and defended several policies like free kindergartens for all children, rich and poor, until 3 years old. He believes that policies like these are needed to stop the desertification of places like in the Alentejo region;

- CDS leader, Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, spent the day in a CDS stronghold, Vale de Cambra, while IL leader, João Cotrim Figeuiredo, spent the day in Viseu in which he gave a cooking recipe to make "Portugal more liberal";

- CHEGA's campaign isn't going well, with several empty rallies and lack of organization, plus several local candidates that are making headlines for making embarrassing suggestions and being "out of this world". Ventura has said that there will be political consequences for him, if the results on Sunday are bad;

In the two main cities, the campaigns are in different moods:

- In Lisbon city, both Medina (PS) and Moedas (PSD) are holding their last events and trying to mobilize their supporters. Polls show that Medina has the edge, and both campaigns are waiting for next few days polls to see who has the momentum and is in on track to win on Sunday. Turnout will probably be a big factor in Lisbon;

- In Porto city, with Rui Moreira having "a walk in the park", the main race is who will be in second, PS or PSD? Both parties are neck and neck in the polls, but with a slight advantage for the PS. Both candidates are also trying to mobilize their supporters as turnout, like Lisbon, will be crucial for the "race for second place";

[Mike88]

UCP–CESOP poll for Lisbon city - PS incumbent, 545,000 inhabitants:

Vote share %: (compared with 2017)

37% PS/Livre (-5)
28% PSD/CDS/PPM/MPT/Alliance (-4)
11% CDU (+1)
  7% BE (nc)
  5% IL (new)
  3% PAN (nc)
  3% CHEGA (new)
  1% Volt Portugal (new)
  5% Others/Invalid (-1)

Poll conducted between 16 and 20 September 2021. Polled 1,292 voters in Lisbon city. MoE of 2.70%.

[Mike88]

In my neighboring town, Vila do Conde, the race is becoming crazy...

Independent movement candidate tries to "buy" the vote of an elderly couple by offering them 100 euros:

https://twitter.com/Publico/status/1440774284406779904

Local elections 2021: Vila do Conde. Independent NAU mayor accused of “buying” votes

A parish president, and candidate for reelection, is being accused of trying to "buy" votes. It's being reported that Filipe Santos, independent parish president of Macieira da Maia parish, offered 100 euros to an elderly couple to vote for the independent movement instead of the PS. And he gave them a condition: on election date they had to take a photo of the cross in the right place in the ballot. There seems to be other cases. In this case, this elderly couple had decided to vote PS, but the offering of the Independent candidate, they changed their minds, but local PS campaign workers caught the movements of the independents and complained about it. Público newspaper also reports that Mr Santos parents have a mini-market where costumers can pay their purchases in the end of every month, and that if this elderly couple doesn't vote in the Independents next Sunday, they would lose this benefit.

The Independent movement NAU hasn't reacted yet to this, with Filipe Santos first rejecting to make a comment, but the he phoned to the newspaper saying the accusations are "false". The mayor of Vila do Conde, Elisa Ferraz of NAU movement, didn't want to expand the issue and talked about her campaign platform. The PS candidate, Vítor Costa, is shocked by the allegations.

The race seems close in Vila do Conde, between the Independents and the PS. Last time, in 2017, PSD voters voted massively in the Independents in order to defeat the PS. We'll see what happens next Sunday.

[Mike88]

Polls for Funchal city - PS/BE incumbent, 106,000 inhabitants:

Intercampus poll for Jornal da Madeira:

Vote share %:

38.8% PSD/CDS (+0.5)
29.8% PS/BE/PAN/MPT/PDR (-1.6)
  3.0% PTP (+2.1)
  2.3% CHEGA (-0.1)
  2.1% CDU (nc)
  1.6% JPP (+0.4)
  1.5% IL (-0.3)
  0.3% PPM (new)
  0.2% Livre (new)
  2.7% Others/Invalid (-0.9)
17.8% Undecided (-0.2)

Poll conducted between 3 and 20 September 2021. Polled 1,200 voters in Funchal city. MoE of 2.80%.

Eurosondagem poll for DN Madeira/TSF Madeira:

Vote share %:

42.5% PS/BE/PAN/MPT/PDR (-0.3)
40.9% PSD/CDS (+2.1)
  3.2% JPP (-0.4)
  3.0% CHEGA (-1.2)
  2.6% IL (+0.4)
  2.2% CDU (nc)
  1.2% PPM (+0.7)
  0.4% Livre (new)
  0.3% PTP (-1.3)
  3.7% Others/Invalid (-0.5)

Poll conducted between 18 and 20 September 2021. Polled 1,073 voters in Funchal city. MoE of 2.98%.

[Mike88]

Complaints to the Electoral Commission soar this year: so far, 730 complaints, double the number of 2017.

Complaints against candidacies to the Electoral Commission (CNE) soared this year. So far, 730 complaints have been issued, and this number is almost double of the number of complaints in 2017, which just 473 were issued. The majority of complaints are against incumbent mayors running for reelection for using municipal institutions and apparatus to make campaign for their party.

CNE is also expected, during this Thursday, to release a ruling regarding the controversial use of the Recovery Plan as a PS campaign pitch by the Prime Minister. CNE said their received half a dozen complaints against Costa, from ordinary citizens, and will issue a ruling about the use of the Recovery Plan in the campaign.

[Mike88]

Multidados poll for Gondomar city - PS incumbent, 164,000 inhabitants:

Vote share %: (compared with 2017)

55.6% PS (+10.1)
21.2% PSD/CDS (+10.2)
12.4% CDU (-3.0)
  4.7% BE (+1.1)
  2.5% CHEGA (new)
  1.7% IL (new)
  1.1% PAN (new)
  0.7% Others/Invalid (-23.7)

Poll conducted between 7 and 17 September 2021. Polled 1,000 votes in Gondomar city. MoE of 3.09%.

[Mike88]

CDS leader, Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, aka Chicão, in Barcelos city...

https://twitter.com/AFisgas/status/1441056487925637138

He really likes drums. xD

[Mike88]

Pitagórica/TVI polls for Lisbon and Porto cities:

Lisbon city, Vote share %:

40.6% PS/Livre (+0.8 )
33.1% PSD/CDS/PPM/MPT/Alliance (+0.5)
  7.6% CDU (-0.9)
  4.7% BE (-2.1)
  3.2% PAN (-0.6)
  3.2% IL (+0.2)
  2.1% CHEGA (-0.7)
  5.5% Others/Invalid (+2.8 )

Poll conducted between 15 and 21 September 2021. Polled 600 voters in Lisbon city. MoE of 4.08%.

Porto city, Vote share %:

52.7% Rui Moreira (-0.1)
15.3% PS (-0.4)
11.5% PSD (-2.5)
  6.1% CDU (+0.3)
  4.1% BE (+0.6)
  2.9% PAN (+0.7)
  2.7% CHEGA (+0.9)
  0.7% Livre (new)
  4.0% Others/Invalid (-0.2)

Poll conducted between 15 and 20 September 2021. Polled 600 voters in Lisbon city. MoE of 4.08%.

[Mike88]

Controversy as the secretary of internationalization, Eurico Brilhante Dias, said that Portugal "gained with Covid":

https://twitter.com/JornalNoticias/status/1441045973229211658

"We gain with covid-19", says secretary of state

The secretary of internationalization in Costa's cabinet, Eurico Brilhante Dias, is in a middle of a controversy regarding a remark he made that has become a major "gaffe". Mr Dias told to reporters, in a Paris economic fair, that: "I'm going to say something that might not be politically correct. We gain with covid-19.", adding also that "people died and many people were very ill, but Portugal showed to be an organized country that successfully faced a very disruptive reality". These remarks are being received with surprise and amazement, with all opposition parties trashing the secretary. PM Costa devalued the remark, but even he gave a "reprimand" to his secretary by saying that "the pandemic control in Portugal is not a tourist poster".

The Foreign minister was forced to sent a press release correcting the words of the secretary and saying that Mr Dias is aware of the negative impacts of the pandemic and is sorry for the deaths due to the pandemic.

[Mike88]

CNE is also expected, during this Thursday, to release a ruling regarding the controversial use of the Recovery Plan as a PS campaign pitch by the Prime Minister. CNE said their received half a dozen complaints against Costa, from ordinary citizens, and will issue a ruling about the use of the Recovery Plan in the campaign.

CNE closes the complaints against Costa, but a group of mayors is now suing CNE because of this:

https://twitter.com/observadorpt/status/1441307884566892544

Election Commission archives complaint against António Costa and European bazooka propaganda

The Electoral Commission (CNE) decided to close the complaints against the PM for using the EU Recovery Plan (PRR) as a PS campaign platform. CNE ruled that although the facts in the complaints are true, they are not punishable. According to the Commission, more complaints against the PM arrived at their desk, but any decision will only be made after the elections. The CNE, last week, warned Costa that the use of the PRR could violate the "neutrality and impartiality duties" of an office holder.  And because of this, some mayors, headed by Isaltino Morais (Oeiras city mayor) are filling a lawsuit against CNE for violating the law. Mr Isaltino accuses the CNE of punishing him, while they didn't do anything to the Prime Minister, as Isaltino was forced to remove city hall publicity as the CNE rulled it violated the same "neutrality and impartiality duties".