"Very robust victory" in local elections is praise for governance

The PS National Committee will debate today the joint proposal by the party's secretary-general and president to support António José Seguro in the upcoming presidential elections, with an analysis of the results of the local elections also on the agenda.

The meeting of the PS's highest body between congresses is scheduled for 3:00 pm, in Penafiel, Porto district — where the party's parliamentary days will take place on Monday and Tuesday — and the opening speech by the socialist leader, José Luís Carneiro, will be open to the media.

The only item on the agenda is the analysis of the political situation, specifically the results of Sunday's local elections and the presidential elections in January next year.

When asked about the approach of people linked to the former PSD leader, Pedro Passos Coelho, to António José Seguro's candidacy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs downplayed the situation.

"No one demands that all activists, in a sort of vast national herd, side with the candidate the PSD supports. Marques Mendes, fortunately, has the capacity to go much further."

Still, in this interview with JN/TSF, Paulo Rangel admits to being very sad that some highly valued party members support other candidates.

Regarding explanations about the use of Lajes Base for the F-35 fighters that the United States sent to Israel, the minister referred explanations to Parliament.

Paulo Rangel provides a national analysis of the PSD and AD results in last Sunday's local elections. In an interview with JN/TSF , the Minister of Foreign Affairs considers winning the country's five largest municipal councils, along with other symbolic ones, to be "a very robust victory."

Part of this result is attributable to governance, he says, recalling that Luís Montenegro was personally targeted before and during the campaign. "The electorate's response is crystal clear: that governance is good."

Regarding the budget discussion, Paulo Rangel aligns with the policy of removing the "drama" from the budget and its approval. "It's a fundamental working tool for day-to-day politics, but it's not the be-all and end-all of Portuguese people's lives."

Good morning. We'll be covering today's political news in a new liveblog. You can check out Saturday's highlights here.

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