The Political Commission of the PS returns today to meet in a situation in which the country entered an economic crisis because of the covid-19 and in which a controversy was installed in the socialists about the presidential elections.
“We will not face it, we are already facing an economic and social crisis”, declared the Prime Minister, António Costa, on Wednesday, in the parliament, correcting the sense of an intervention previously made by the socialist deputy Miguel Costa Matos.
Contrary to the usual, because of the covid-19, the meeting of the National Political Commission of the PS, with start time scheduled for 21:00, will take place not at the national headquarters of this party, in Largo do Rato, but in a space belonging to the Centro de Esquerda, also in Lisbon, for having a room that allows a greater distance between the members of this organ of the socialists.
Also for the first time at a meeting of the PS Political Commission, the initial intervention of the secretary general, António Costa, will be open to the media.
The question of presidential candidates within the PS was triggered last week by António Costa, as prime minister, during a visit he made to the Autoeuropa factory in Palmela, with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
In a brief speech, António Costa said that he expected to return to the factory in Palmela with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in the first quarter of next year, thus giving almost certainty to the re-election and re-election of the current head of state.
Former socialist MEP Ana Gomes condemned these words from her secretary-general, stating that “the PS is not Costa’s party” and that “democracy is not suspended in the PS. Ana Gomes also rebelled against the idea that the president of this party, Carlos César, wanted to postpone the national congress until a date after the elections for President of the Republic.
At SIC, on Sunday, Ana Gomes classified the situation created by António Costa as “very serious”, said she would reflect on her eventual candidacy for President of the Republic and defended the thesis that the PS should have a candidate for Belém.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency on Tuesday, the deputy general secretary of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, said that Ana Gomes’ “unacceptable statements” deserved the repudiation of the leadership of this party.
Before the Committee of the Political Committee of the PS, the National Secretariat of the PS, the executive board of the socialists, meets in the same space as the Left Center, at Filipe Néri street, at 7:30 pm.
On the agenda of the PS Political Commission, there is an analysis of the political situation and the internal electoral process, that is, the postponement of federal and national congresses, as well as direct elections to the post of secretary-general, due to the pandemic of covid-19.
The new dates for the holding of federative and national congresses, as well as for the direct election of the secretary-general of this party, must be approved by the National Commission, which is the highest organ of the socialists between congresses.
The National Political Commission of the PS has 71 effective members, not counting dozens of elements who sit there inherently, but this meeting on Thursday will be simultaneously “in person and by telematic means, which will reduce the number of attendance physical ”.
According to the PS, because of the covid-19, in the meetings of the Secretariat and the Political Commission it will be “guaranteed a minimum distance of two meters between the participants, corresponding to the rules established” by the General Directorate of Health.
“Face-to-face participants will have to wear a mask whenever they are at a shorter distance than the one set, namely at the entrance and exit of the meeting. Alcoholic hand disinfection gel will be made available to all face-to-face participants, ”added a statement from the PS.
– .
