🇵🇹 Portugal's politics and elections 3.0

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

After the speeches, the National Anthem was sung and played, as well the "Grândola Vila Morena" song, but CHEGA MPs left the chamber as the song started to be sung.

Oh well. This is far from surprising of course, but still disappointing and terrible. Did they later claim it's a scary mean communist song or something?

Fortunately our Parliament wasn't in session today so we'll never know whether our far right would have done the same with "Bella ciao".

[Mike88]

After the speeches, the National Anthem was sung and played, as well the "Grândola Vila Morena" song, but CHEGA MPs left the chamber as the song started to be sung.

Oh well. This is far from surprising of course, but still disappointing and terrible. Did they later claim it's a scary mean communist song or something?

Fortunately our Parliament wasn't in session today so we'll never know whether our far right would have done the same with "Bella ciao".

There's a lot of revolution songs, Grândola Vila Morena is the most well known, but, to be honest, it isn't my favourite revolution song, I actually enjoy much more the "E depois do Adeus" de Paulo de Carvalho. It was the song that really started the revolution as when it played on the radio, on the evening of 24 April 1974, army officials knew the time had arrived:

But CHEGA's attitude is just..., whatever, like you far from surprising.

I like Bella Ciao a lot, but I actually only was aware of the song after watching La casa de papel.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

After the speeches, the National Anthem was sung and played, as well the "Grândola Vila Morena" song, but CHEGA MPs left the chamber as the song started to be sung.

Oh well. This is far from surprising of course, but still disappointing and terrible. Did they later claim it's a scary mean communist song or something?

Fortunately our Parliament wasn't in session today so we'll never know whether our far right would have done the same with "Bella ciao".

There's a lot of revolution songs, Grândola Vila Morena is the most well known, but, to be honest, it isn't my favourite revolution song, I actually enjoy much more the "E depois do Adeus" de Paulo de Carvalho. It was the song that really started the revolution as when it played on the radio, on the evening of 24 April 1974, army officials knew the time had arrived:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJrtNwD_r_0

But CHEGA's attitude is just..., whatever, like you far from surprising.

I like Bella Ciao a lot, but I actually only was aware of the song after watching La casa de papel.

Lol. It's absurd to me how much that show has spread popularity of Bella ciao abroad, you're far from the only non-Italian I've seen say they only know it for this reason.

I have to say I didn't like "E depois do Adeus" much, but to each their own.

[Mike88]

Lol. It's absurd to me how much that show has spread popularity of Bella ciao abroad, you're far from the only non-Italian I've seen say they only know it for this reason.

I have to say I didn't like "E depois do Adeus" much, but to each their own.

Also, and a bit off topic but anyway, I forgot to mention that Porto fans made a version of Bella Ciao, called "Penta Xau", to mock Benfica when they lost the possibility of a 5th consecutive championship win, and the music became, at least in the group of people I know, even more popular and well known because of this.

One of my favourites from Zeca Afonso is "Eles comem tudo e não deixam nada" They eat everything and leave nothing. The "Traz outro amigo também" Bring along another friend is also a good song.

[Mike88]

CHEGA wants to buy the historic CDS headquarters for 7 million euros:

CHEGA wants to buy or rent CDS-PP historic headquarters in Lisbon. The story in being reported by CNN Portugal in which CHEGA has approached the Lisbon Patriarchate, which owns the building and has been renting it to CDS for the last 48 years, and is offering 7 million euros in order to buy the building or 5,000 euros per month for renting. Currently, CDS is in deep financial trouble and is having problems paying the rent of his headquarters. The Lisbon Patriarchate was contacted by the media and said that they still haven't received any proposal, but they didn't say a deal is off the table.

CDS has responded to CHEGA's proposal to buy their headquarters and they refuse to leave the building, at the same time the Lisbon Patriarchate still hasn't received a proposal:

https://twitter.com/Publico/status/1519357146055561216

CDS-PP: Nuno Melo rejects leaving the CDS headquarters and casts suspicion on the origin of the seven million offered by Chega

CDS leader Nuno Melo has responded to CHEGA's intentions of buying his party's historic headquarters at Caldas Square in Lisbon. In a note sent to the media, Nuno Melo labeled the proposal as "so beneath all that is decent in politics", and that no further comments are needed. Melo also raised doubts on where CHEGA's money comes front, saying that sometimes "people suddenly appeared with wads of bills in their pockets". In an interview to CNN Portugal, André Ventura said the money would come from by a bank loan, and that he's just trying to save a building with historic significance for democracy in Portugal.

However, the Lisbon Patriarchate has also confirmed they have not receive any proposal to buy the building, even though CHEGA announced that it was going to make an offer on 25 April, last Monday.

[Mike88]

2022 budget: Discussion and vote to start this Thursday as President Marcelo's plea for more Defense spending is rejected by the government.

https://twitter.com/Renascenca/status/1519679271412842496

Live. Parliament debates State Budget

Parliament starts debating the 2022 draft budget this afternoon, with a first vote to be held tomorrow. The budget will pass with the 120 votes of the PS, while the remaining parties, from left to right, have said they will vote against, with only PAN and Livre still not announcing their vote. However, after the first vote, parties are expected to propose several changes to the budget and, so far, the PS and the government are not very open to accept suggestions. President Marcelo's own plea to increase Defense spending is being rejected by the PS and the government on the grounds that its not an issue right now. President Marcelo advised the Government to increase wages and investment in equipment for the Armed Forces, which will be proposed by the PSD in their budget proposals.

Costa defended the budget by refusing the idea that this is an "austerity budget" and responded to the PSD that austerity is not in the PS's DNA. The Finance minister, Fernando Medina, recognized, yesterday, that people will lose purchasing power this year, but the PM didn't talk about that and pointed that the budget has "right accounts" and will reduce the deficit and the debt. He also announced that energy bills could decrease in the summer.

[Mike88]

PSD leadership election update:

With less than a month before the schedule ballot date, just 35,414 members, out of 85,526 active ones, are registered to vote in the election. The deadline is May 10th and we'll see if the number rises.

Regarding the possible postponement of the ballot due to a complaint sent by some party members, the party's tribunal is yet to make a decision. These members say that the ballot is illegal as Rui Rio never officially resigned from the party's leadership.

At the same time, the campaign is already in the road. Montenegro is being criticized by pundits for his positions regarding CHEGA deals, as he's being vague about it. Nonetheless, he's receiving the support of several local party structures across the country. Jorge Moreira da Silva, on the other hand, is gaining support from key Rio supporters that were crucial for Rio's wins in previous leadership elections. Moreira da Silva also won the endorsement of Francisco Pinto Balsemão, former PM and PSD founder, plus owner of Impresa media group that owns SIC TV, the current most viewed TV channel in Portugal.

[Mike88]

Weird story from Setúbal city: Ukrainian refugees were received by pro Putin Russians in Setúbal city hall.

https://twitter.com/expresso/status/1519798903117434883

They left Ukraine as far to Setúbal, to escape Russian missiles, tanks and soldiers. But in the refugee support office of Setúbal City Hall, led by the PCP, they were received by Russians. The documents are copied and the women are asked where...

Expresso newspaper is reporting a very weird story coming from Setúbal city. Setúbal city hall, controlled by the PCP, like many other chambers across the country, received Ukrainian refugees that were escaping the war, but here, something different happened. Expresso newspaper says that these refugees were received by Russian activists, some with close links to the Kremlin, and their documents were photocopied, plus were asked questions about the whereabouts of their family members in Ukraine. Setúbal City Hall denies that these questionnaires happened, but they did acknowledge that some of the Russian activists, reported by Expresso, did give support to Ukrainian refugees.

Many of the refugees, that arrived in Setúbal, are now afraid of reprisals and are worried about their family members that stayed in Ukraine. Local parties, like the PSD, are pondering to ask for an investigation surrounding the matter.

[Mike88]

2022 budget vote: Budget approved.

120 In favour (PS)
108 Against (PSD, CHEGA, IL, PCP, BE)
    2 Abstention (PAN, Livre)

As expected, the budget only had the favourable votes of the PS, and the rest of the parties voted against or abstained. In their closing remarks, the government, by the voice of minister Ana Catarina Mendes, said that this budget was suffraged by the people, but added that the world changed and things are no longer the same. She said that budget doesn't ignore inflation but refused the claims from the opposition that this is an "austerity budget". The PSD, by the voice of Rui Rio, criticized the budget and said to Costa that the government was "cheating people" and if there was a second round of the elections, a joke Costa made against Rio a month ago, the votes would be different. Rio accused the PS of persuing austerity and that all of the promisses from the election campaign are "gone with the wind". This was probably Rio's last speech as PSD leader from the Chamber's tribune.

Ventura accused Costa of being the face of austerity, and trashed the PS by saying they feel "scot-free" as they don't feel obliged to change the budget because of the war. IL MP, Carla Castro, said the budget was a document with no ambition and no vision and that the budget is just a continuation of the "low wage policies" from the Geringonça. PCP criticized the PS for already being stubborn with their absolute majority and that the government doesn't give any solution to the people or workers. BE leader, Catarina Martins, compared this budget to the PSD/CDS budgets during the bailout, adding that the PS government is just persuing a rightwing program and that the "the absolute majority abandoned the people" PAN criticized the budget for having little or no policies towards a green economy, while Livre leader Rui Tavares said that Costa promissed no "absolute power" and that he's failing in that promise.

After this vote, parties will now propose changes to the budget, however, the government is not very open to accept the opposition's proposals and only during the discussions will this be clear or not. The final budget is set for 27 May.

Also, during the announcement of the results, several people on the galleries, above the floor of Parliament, started shouting against the government and screaming "More Wages!". The police was forced to escort the people out of the galleries.

[Mike88]

Weird story from Setúbal city: Ukrainian refugees were received by pro Putin Russians in Setúbal city hall.

This story is becoming a big trainwreck that is now even involving the Prime Minister:

- If at first Setúbal city hall was denying the content of the report, they then retracted their earlier position and fired the Russian employee in City Hall, plus asked the Interior Minister to investigate the matter, which the media says it doesn't make sense and this is a case of full responsibility of local government, anyway;

- Then, PM Costa gets involved as the mayor of Setúbal said he sent a question letter to the PM's office regarding accusations that Setúbal City Hall was financing pro-Russia associations, but that he didn't received a reply. But, the PM's office responded by saying that the letter doesn't have any questions and that the letter is more a protest against the claims, adding they registered the claim and sent the letter to the file cabinet;

- The border control agency, SEF, also rejected the claims of Setúbal's mayor as he also said that associations in which City Hall was dealing, also had deals with SEF and Social Security. But, SEF says they never had any deals with these associations;

- This is creating a big mess in local Setúbal politics, with PSD suggesting they could demand the resignation of the mayor, and with Ukrainian associations saying there is big web of Russians infiltrated in refugees associations in order to spy on Ukrainians in Portugal. PCP is also furious with this controversy and they believe, according the Jerónimo de Sousa, that this controversy is being explored in order to hurt and persecute the party;

[Mike88]

PSD leadership election update:

Regarding the possible postponement of the ballot due to a complaint sent by some party members, the party's tribunal is yet to make a decision. These members say that the ballot is illegal as Rui Rio never officially resigned from the party's leadership.

Update: The PSD tribunal rejected the complaint and the leadership elections will indeed be held on May 28.

The party's tribunal argues, that despite Rio not explicitly saying he is resigning, by asking for a snap leadership ballot in a short period plus assuming all of the responsibilities of the January 30th election results, Rio is basically resigning from the leadership. The tribunal, therefore, rejected the complaint sent by a PSD member. However, in previous media statements, this PSD member also said that if his complaint was rejected, he would consider going to the Constitutional Court. We'll see.

[Mike88]

"Familygate" in CHEGA: Father of CHEGA MP resigns as political advisor to the party's caucus after complaint.

https://twitter.com/dntwit/status/1520051039780556802

Chega's parliamentary advisor resigns for being the father of a member of Parliament

After a complaint, sent by a International Transparency Portugal, pointing that CHEGA was violating the law for nominating a family member of a MP as an advisor to the whole party caucus, the father of MP Rita Matias, resigned from the post this Friday. The law does not allow the nomination of family members of an office holder to public jobs, and although it was Ventura that picked the advisor, law specialists say that the spirit of the law was being violated by CHEGA, as Rita Martins was going to be advised by her own father.

In the past, CHEGA was a fierce critic of family ties in public offices and they criticized a lot the PS because of the 2019 PS familygate scandal. The party even proposed a law to forbid these kind of nominations, even within party caucuses.

[Mike88]

Secretary of Migrations resigns and becomes the first casualty in Costa's 3rd cabinet. Resignation occurs in the middle of the Setúbal-Ukranian refugees controversy:

https://twitter.com/observadorpt/status/1521147630117609472

Secretary of State for Migration was dismissed

After just 33 days in power, Costa's 3rd cabinet has suffered its first casualty: The Secretary for Equality and Migrations, Sara Guerreiro, resigned citting health reasons and her successor will be taking the oath of office late this afternoon. However, this resignation comes in a delicate time as the Government is facing pressures to act and respond regarding the ongoing Setúbal city hall controversy where pro-Putin Russians questioned and took personal information from Ukrainian refugees. Setúbal's mayor blames the government for not warning local governments that there were pro-Putin people infiltrated in support organizations in Portugal. It was actually President Marcelo who announced the resignation, not the Prime Minister, which surprised the media and they pressed the President if it had anything to do with the ongoing controversy, but the President denies.

CNN Portugal is also reporting that the Government knew that there were organizations with connections with the Kremlin "helping" Ukrainian refugees in Portugal, but they did nothing, adding that the Ukrainian Ambassador even asked for a meeting with the now former Secretary of Migration, but nothing happen. The Secret Services were also given a report warning of these connections.

[Mike88]

Big fallout as fuel prices are not reduced as much as it was expected by the Government.

https://twitter.com/SICNoticias/status/1521833576903368706

The impact of the drop in the ISP was lower than expected.

With rising costs and inflation, fuel prices in Portugal have reached record levels and, last month, the government approved a reduction equivalent of 20 cents per liter in fuel prices. The meassure started last Monday but there's a big stir as prices were only reduced by half of what expected. The actual reduction was of about 10 cents which led PM Costa to warn consumers and advise them to complain if the reduction is not being given. Some pundits blame companies profit margins as the main reason for the low reduction in fuel prices, but fuel companies reject the idea saying that the actual reduction is the right one and accuse the government of creating "false hopes".

Nonetheless, PM Costa asked the food control agency, ASAE, to oversee the price reduction. This meassure, however, is being criticized by the media as it doesn't make sense to have a food agency controlling fuel prices. ASAE has received some complaints, but so far only found one case with wrong prices, while the energy regulator (ERSE) didn't found any abuse, by fuel companies, of profit margins in the final fuel price. In a press conference this morning, Costa accepted the ERSE conclusion, but warned that if there's more abuses by fuel companies, he would persue a policy of profit margin fixing.

[Mike88]

PSD leadership ballot update:

- The number of members registered to vote is growing but in a very, very slow pace. With the 10th May deadline approaching, as of today just 37,524 members are registered to vote. In last November's ballot, more than 46,000 members registered to vote. The data can be followed, minute by minute, here: https://www.psd.pt/pt/pagamento-de-quotas-ao-segundo

- In terms of endorsements, Montenegro scored a big, and also strange, endorsement. Alberto João Jardim, leader of PSD-Madeira and Region's President (1978-2015), announced he was supporting Luís Montenegro. This is a big endorsement as Jardim has a lot of influence in Madeira, but also strange as Jardim had been very critical towards Montenegro because of his alleged links with "secret societies" like the masonry. Jardim is an outspoken critic of the masonry. Jorge Moreira da Silva, on the other hand, gained the support of Manuela Ferreira Leite, PSD leader (2008-2010) and the first woman to lead a major party in Portugal. Both supported Rio in the past, so it's clear the division between former Rio supporters;

-  In terms of who has the edge right now, Montenegro is ranking endorsements after endorsements in the party's local structures, and Moreira da Silva is well behind here by a wide margin. However, in the party many warn that last November, Rangel had almost the full support of the party's structures and still lost to Rio. Adding to this, Moreira da Silva's campaign is being led by the same people that led Rio's campaign last November;

- Although Rui Rio's time as leader is coming to a close, he still wants to have a say in the remaining days of his leadership. Yesterday, he gave a speech where he acknowledged that "Portugal doesn't want major reforms" and this afternoon, he took part in a tense PSD caucus meeting where some of his reforms on the electoral system were discussed. Several MPs criticized the timing of the discussion, and the PSD caucus leader, Mota Pinto, announced that these reforms will be given to the new leader and he will then decide what to do. Rio, on the other hand, criticized the leaks regarding the meeting;

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

- In terms of endorsements, Montenegro scored a big, and also strange, endorsement. Alberto João Jardim, leader of PSD-Madeira and Region's President (1978-2015), announced he was supporting Luís Montenegro. This is a big endorsement as Jardim has a lot of influence in Madeira, but also strange as Jardim had been very critical towards Montenegro because of his alleged links with "secret societies" like the masonry. Jardim is an outspoken critic of the masonry. Jorge Moreira da Silva, on the other hand, gained the support of Manuela Ferreira Leite, PSD leader (2008-2010) and the first woman to lead a major party in Portugal. Both supported Rio in the past, so it's clear the division between former Rio supporters

You've also talked about Rui Rio being critical of Masonic influence before. Is this a PSD hang-up because Freemasonry is seen as associated with PS/the left in general, or do people like Rio or Jardim reflect a broader and more apolitical sentiment?

[Mike88]

- In terms of endorsements, Montenegro scored a big, and also strange, endorsement. Alberto João Jardim, leader of PSD-Madeira and Region's President (1978-2015), announced he was supporting Luís Montenegro. This is a big endorsement as Jardim has a lot of influence in Madeira, but also strange as Jardim had been very critical towards Montenegro because of his alleged links with "secret societies" like the masonry. Jardim is an outspoken critic of the masonry. Jorge Moreira da Silva, on the other hand, gained the support of Manuela Ferreira Leite, PSD leader (2008-2010) and the first woman to lead a major party in Portugal. Both supported Rio in the past, so it's clear the division between former Rio supporters

You've also talked about Rui Rio being critical of Masonic influence before. Is this a PSD hang-up because Freemasonry is seen as associated with PS/the left in general, or do people like Rio or Jardim reflect a broader and more apolitical sentiment?

Yes, Rio was very critical of Montenegro "links" and accused him of being a mason in a leadership debate in 2020. Both parties have connections with the masonry, as some of the people involved in the formation of both PS and PSD had links or friends in the masonry. The relation between the PS and the masonry is much deeper as, for example, Mário Soares was publicly known for being a mason. The PSD also has had always connections but not as direct as the PS. But, the PSD always had people like Jardim, since the 80's he trashes the masonry, and also Rio, which are staunch anti-masonry and the party even forced a bill, last year, to demand that MPs and public office holders disclose if they are part of any society.

I would say that the PSD has a very uncomfortable relation with the masonry, as like I said, they have many members in shops, but the party also has those members, like Jardim and Rio, who tap into the "populist" message of "these secret societies" and stuff, and because the PSD has populists roots, it attracts considerable support within the party.

[Mike88]

The Setúbal-Ukrainian refugees controversy continues: Report reveals that the Russian in the center of the Setúbal controversy has been monitored by the Secret Services since 2014.

https://twitter.com/RTPNoticias/status/1522558044474941447

Portuguese secret services has followed Khashin since 2014

The Setúbal-Ukrainian refugees controversy continues to dominate headlines. This time, Expresso newspaper reports that Igor Khashin, the leader of the Russian association with close links with the Kremlin that received and asked personal questions to Ukrainian refugees in behalf of Setúbal City Hall, had been monitored by the Portuguese Secret Services since 2014. The newspaper reports that Russian associations in Portugal have been monitored closely by the Secret Services, since Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014. The same report also reveals a close relationship between Igor Khashin and Setúbal's mayor, André Martins. Mr Khashin and his wife have been collaborating with Setúbal city hall since 2015, and last year, he endorsed André Martins bid to become mayor and received a public acknowledgment by Mr Martins.

This is creating a big political storm in Setúbal city. The mayor has entered in a "blackout" and will not answer any questions about the case until the investigation is completed. However, the PSD is demanding his resignation and is challenging the PS to also resign. So far, the PS is declining to resign from their seats, but they haven't close the door. If the PS and PSD members resign, Setúbal will be forced into a by-election as PS+PSD hold a majority of seats.

But, it's not only Setúbal involved in controversy. The media also reports that in other cities, Ukrainian refugees are also being badly treated: In Guarda, some Ukrainian refugees accuse City Hall of kicking them out from the city, warning them that they had "one hour to leave the city". Guarda City Hall, controlled by an Independent, said that there were complaints against the refugees and that they had orders from Lisbon to expelled them from the city.

In Portimão city, a similar situation to Setúbal is also happening. The City Hall, controlled by the PS, is accused of using a Russian association, suspected of having close ties with the Kremlin, in order to help with the welcome to Ukrainian refugees in the city. The City Hall has already reacted by saying that they will stick with this association until there are strong evidences of the association's close ties with Russian authorities.

[Mike88]

Pitagórica poll for TVI/CNN Portugal:

Vote share % with Luís Montenegro as PSD leader:

41.5% PS
21.6% PSD
10.0% IL
  5.7% CHEGA
  5.1% BE
  4.3% CDU
  2.4% Livre
  1.4% PAN
  8.0% Others/Invalid

Vote share % with Jorge Moreira da Silva as PSD leader:

42.3% PS
19.9% PSD
10.3% IL
  6.4% CHEGA
  5.1% BE
  4.5% CDU
  2.4% Livre
  1.1% PAN
  8.0% Others/Invalid

Government's approval:

28% Good/Very good
27% Bad/Very bad

António Costa's approval as PM:

54% Approve
38% Disapprove

Poll conducted between 7 and 24 April 2022. Polled 625 voters. MoE of 4.00%.

[Mike88]

Political update:

- The Setúbal-Ukrainian refugees controversy continues. This morning, the police raided the building of Setúbal city hall and the police also raided the headquarters of the Russian association in the center of this controversy. This case is also becoming highly political with strong accusations between PS, PSD and CDU. PS and PSD will present a motion of censorship against Setúbal mayor in the City's Municipal Assembly, but it will have no consequences as the body doesn't have the power to remove the mayor. And the PS is also being criticized for rejecting an audition of Setúbal's mayor in Parliament;

- The NHS is also in the headlines and not for good reasons, unfortunately. The number of people without a family doctor reached the highest level since Costa is PM, almost 1,3 million people without a doctor. The main reasons for the lack of doctors in the NHS are high numbers of retirements and the system incapacity of retaining young doctors, who either go to the private sector or leave the country. Another story is being received with surprise and confusion: There is a proposal to penalize family doctors who have patients that had an abortion or that contracted a STD. The proposal was already accepted by the Health Directorate and is being analysed by the Health Minister, and the goal is to increment family planning and prevention. Unions, however, label the proposal as "unacceptable";

- The Education sector is also under huge pressure with a massive lack of teachers. According to the media, more than 100,000 students are at risk of not having a teacher in at least one class by the next year. Already after this year's Easter holidays, 30,000 students haven't had the majority of classes because of teachers shortages. Unions criticize the government for its lack of policies, and Schools accuse the government of patches. Adding to this, the main teacher's Union, FENPROF, did a press conference to criticize the government which became viral as the government policies were explained, and criticized, using fruits and breaking plates, literally:

- The Justice system and the Police investigators are freaking out because of a Constitutional Court ruling that forbides the archive of personal data from the internet and wiretaps. Investigators say that this ruling will "destroy" several investigations surrounding drug trafficking, terrorism and other scams. The Court's ruling is now hitting the government as they were warned, in 2019, that the law could be unconstitutional, but nothing was done to resolve the issue. The then Justice minister, Francisca Van Dunem, invoked the complexity of the law itself, and the 2019 general elections to not do anything. During the previous Parliament, nothing was also done and this is now creating a huge problem for criminal investigations;

[Mike88]

"Familygate" in CHEGA: Father of CHEGA MP resigns as political advisor to the party's caucus after complaint.

More cases of family connections in CHEGA's structures are being revealed:

https://twitter.com/josebourbon/status/1524005351770759168

Jobs, homeland and family. The family connections that haunt Chega

The "familygate" controversy in CHEGA continues. Despite the party being one the strongest voices against the PS family connections in government, the media is finding more and more cases of similar situations within CHEGA. Observador newspaper says that family connections are widespread in the party from top to bottom, meaning, from the national leadership to the local ones. For example, Diogo Pacheco de Amorim had 5 family members in the party's lists for the 2019 elections. And across the country, local party branches are headed by family members, in which the wife/husband lead the local party and then other family members, sons, cousins, uncles, etc, also have positions in local branches. The party's justification: Few people accept to show their face for CHEGA.

[Mike88]

PSD leadership ballot update:

- The number of members registered to vote is growing but in a very, very slow pace. With the 10th May deadline approaching, as of today just 37,524 members are registered to vote. In last November's ballot, more than 46,000 members registered to vote. The data can be followed, minute by minute, here: https://www.psd.pt/pt/pagamento-de-quotas-ao-segundo

The deadline to register for the ballot ended this midnight, 11 May. At midnight, 44,670 PSD members were registered to cast a ballot in the leadership election. The number is slightly down compared with last November, but up compared with January 2020, when just 40,600 party registered to vote.

[Mike88]

Another story is being received with surprise and confusion: There is a proposal to penalize family doctors who have patients that had an abortion or that contracted a STD. The proposal was already accepted by the Health Directorate and is being analysed by the Health Minister, and the goal is to increment family planning and prevention. Unions, however, label the proposal as "unacceptable";

After two days of controversy, with even a very tense discussion, in Parliament, between Health Minister Marta Temido and BE leader Catarina Martins, in which Martins accused the government of considering a proposal that would discriminate and impose a "moral judgment" on women, the proposal has been dropped and is no longer in consideration.

Regarding the other ongoing controversy, about the Court's decision to declare illegal the use of Metadata in investigations, President Marcelo is worried that to resolve the matter a complete review of the Constitution may be needed:

https://twitter.com/expresso/status/1524289623442313216

Belém fears that negotiations with parties for a revision of the fundamental law could lead to changes for other purposes and suggests that the Government ask the Constitutional Court directly if there is any legal solution.

According to the media, President Marcelo says that the Court's ruling, regarding the use of Metadata, is a "bummer", but that the President isn't very fond of the idea of review the Constitution to resolve this stalemate. The President is worried that this could be used by other parties, particularly his own party the PSD, to pursue more deep changes in the Constitution, and the President has advised the government to ask the High Court if there's some legal solution within the current text of the Constitution. PM Costa has already suggested a "surgical review" of the Constitution to resolve the issue.

[Mike88]

2022 budget: Costa calls IL, PSD-Madeira, PAN and Livre for negotiations. BE and PCP are put aside.

https://twitter.com/ECO_PT/status/1524392849382555648

Government summons liberals and PSD Madeira to negotiate Budget

The Government signaled they are open to negotiate some policies for the 2022 budget with opposition parties. The government decided to call the Liberals (IL), PSD-Madeira, PAN and Livre for talks regarding the inclusion of some of these parties policies in the budget. IL is quite optimistic, and believes the PS could accept their proposal of an IRS flat tax for people who earn in between 900-1,300 euros per month, the majority of workers, while PSD-Madeira has important regional questions to resolve like the financing of the new regional hospital and the legislation regarding the island's Free Trade Zone.

PAN wants to include in the budget supports for veterinarians and a support line for animal help associations, while Livre wants to pursue an experiment of a 4-day working week in 100 selected companies, this for 2023, and an electric bus network for schools. Out of the meetings are BE and PCP, which shows the deep estrangement between PS and the leftwing parties.

[Mike88]

PSD leadership: Luís Montenegro formalizes his candidacy and unveils his manifesto.

Luís Montenegro formalized, yesterday afternoon, his candidacy for the PSD leadership. He delivered 2,800 signatures in order to be on the ballot and unveiled his manifesto. In a statement to the press, in front of the PSD National Headquarters, Montenegro refused talks with CHEGA, but refused to an "accomplice in the perpetuation of the PS in power", adding that the PSD needs to be the home of all the voters who are fed up with the PS. The main policies in his manifesto are the following:

- Creation of a "negative IRS" for low wages;
- 15% IRS tax for workers until 35 years old;
- Creation of a free national kindergartens network;
- Incentives for companies and businesses to have kindergartens for employees;
- Discussion of a 4 day working week;
- Reintroduction of vocational education;
- Family doctor for all people and involve the private sector in the NHS;
- Reform of the Armed Forces with increase wages and more investment;