Álvaro Beleza defends the feasibility of the Budget by the PS and talks about Insurance for the presidential elections
The president of SEDES and socialist leader Álvaro Beleza defended this Saturday, October 12, the PS’s implementation of the State Budget, nullifying Chega’s “political terrorism”, in an interview in which he considers António José Seguro to be a great presidential candidate.
“Pedro Nuno Santos today, more than leader of the PS, is leader of the Portuguese left. Therefore, it is not because the Socialist Party abstains, for the good of the Fatherland, in the budget, that it will stop leading the left. I think the This is the path and it is normal for it to be like this. And I hope it is like this.
President of SEDES – Association for Economic and Social Development, doctor by profession, Álvaro Beleza is part of the PS Political Committee and was national representative of the socialist lists in the last legislative elections, having supported Pedro Nuno Santos’ candidacy for leadership, despite being from the right wing of the party.
“The PS has been an adult. I trust my comrades and the party leader. I trust that this discussion will have this meaning, especially because the PS and these comrades of mine who are in the leadership of the party – Pedro Nuno and the others were in the PS Government – and it was the PS Government that placed Portugal with a surplus in public accounts for the first time in many years”, he maintained.
Declaring himself “reasonably optimistic”, he considers that dramatization “is part of politics” and agrees with Pedro Nuno Santos “absolutely”, in relation to the thesis according to which “the dichotomy in Portugal has to be between the PS and the PSD ” .
“Therefore, there must be differences and it is good that there are differences,” he said.
Seguro and Vitorino “great candidates”
In the chapter on the future presidential elections, in 2026, Álvaro Beleza considers that among the socialists there are figures such as António Vitorino, a party member, and former leaders, such as António José Seguro, “who could be great candidates for the Socialist Party”.
When asked about the profile of MEP Francisco Assis for the position, he responds: “Francisco Assis, yes, would make a great President of the Republic.”
About former leader António José Seguro, he says again: “That’s also life and circumstances are what they are. I think the country needs a president of the Republic who has the qualities of political experience, that people know the its trajectory and its thinking, of political culture, of integrity.
Álvaro Beleza says he doesn’t like the idea of independents for the highest position in the nation. That’s when he is confronted with the fact that this idea practically excludes the current governor of the Bank of Portugal, Mário Centeno, who introduces the names of António Vitorino and António José Seguro.
“That was a conversation like Salazar. I don’t like that conversation. Politics is for people who assume their convictions and when they are President of the Republic they are presidents of all Portuguese people, beyond their party or where they came from. And we’ve had several. (. ..) Within the Socialist Party we have figures – I’m thinking of António Vitorino, a party member, and former leaders, I’m thinking of António José Seguro, who could be great candidates for the Socialist Party”, he declared.
