In the week in which the Socialist Party officially supported António José Seguro as presidential candidate, the internal consensus remains far from absolute. Although the decision was approved by the National Commission with only two abstentions and no votes against, several prominent party figures, disappointed by the lack of “internal debate and alternatives”, expressed reservations and distance from the candidacy.
One of the most notorious cases is that of António Vieira da Silva, former Minister of Labor and Social Solidarity and member of the PS National Political Commission, who announced, in statements to DN, that he will not participate in the campaign.
“My position is known. I do not consider that there are candidates from my political area capable of competing for victory in the elections. I respect the position of the Socialist Party, but I am not with António José Seguro”, said the former minister of António Costa, stressing that he will follow the elections “as a citizen”.
Vieira da Silva considers that this is not “a positive moment for the PS”, pointing out errors in the party’s strategy.
“The PS did not make a mistake now. The PS made a mistake several months ago, when, instead of promoting a broad debate that would lead to the presentation of a candidate, it chose to participate by drag in a very important election. The party did not prepare properly”, he argued, adding that the PS allowed itself to be conditioned by a candidacy.
Vieira da Silva is not the only one out of line with the official position. Former leader Ferro Rodrigues, who has followed party guidelines since 1980, says he is in reflection, but everything indicates that he will not endorse the candidate. And it will be difficult for Augusto Santos Silva to swallow “a frog” after the former President of the Assembly of the Republic stated, at a stage when he was considering whether he should place himself on the presidential board, that none of the candidacies met the “minimum requirements”.
Despite the criticism, the socialist president, Carlos César, guarantees that the PS “is not divided at all”. For César, formal support for Seguro “exhausts the party’s participation in this process”. The decision was announced precisely by Carlos César, one of the protagonists of the internal offensive that paved the way for António Costa’s leadership. This time, César considers that “for the Socialist Party, the best is António José Seguro”.
José Luís Carneiro also finds justifications, highlighting the candidate’s political path. “António José Seguro was secretary general of the Socialist Youth, deputy, assistant minister to António Guterres and secretary general of the PS. He has a career that honors the party”, stated the socialist general secretary.
Even some staunch critics of the former secretary general have already expressed public support for the candidate. Among them, Duarte Cordeiro. “In this context, António José Seguro is the best positioned person on the center-left,” he stated. And for Fernando Medina, the candidate is “the only name on the center-left with a real chance of reaching the second round and winning”.
António José Seguro led the PS between 2011 and 2014, in a period marked by the economic crisis and the governance of Pedro Passos Coelho, under the intervention of the troika. His leadership ended after an internal dispute with António Costa, then president of Lisbon City Council, who would succeed him as general secretary. The confrontation divided and left marks on the party.