Duarte Cordeiro refused José Luís Carneiro’s invitation to join the PS’s new National Political Commissionassuming that the decision aimed to preserve autonomy vis-à-vis the current party leadership. In a first explanation, the absence of the former Minister of the Environment from the CPN list was attributed to “unavailability”. However, in statements to Diário de Notícias, Duarte Cordeiro clarified that he chose to stay out because he understood that joining that body would be read as a sign of alignment with the socialist general secretary.
“I did not accept the invitation. I had concerns that were not properly clarified”, he stated. Duarte Cordeiro added that he felt that “the leadership promoted the idea that accepting the CPN invitation meant being part of the team or supporting the leader”stressing: “I don’t fit any of these profiles.”
The former ruler, mainly associated with the Pedronunist camp, or at least with its political space, but who is currently seeking to assert himself with his own autonomy, placing himself as a reserve for leadership, also explained that he preferred to maintain political freedom to disagree with the current leadership. “I ended up evaluating that, by staying out, I am less committed to the current leadership, to its decisions, and I better maintain my freedom to disagree,” he declared. “I was already out and I decided to stay out”, he added, noting that “I don’t make any judgment about anyone else’s decisions”.
The refusal comes at a time when José Luís Carneiro presents the new composition of the party’s national bodies, which will be voted on this Sunday, at the PS National Commission meeting. In the proposed list for the National Secretariat, the secretary general maintains many of the current members, but introduces several new features.
Among the entries, former minister Ana Mendes Godinho and the mayor of Matosinhos, Luísa Salgueiro, stand out, as well as former deputies Luís Soares and Sérgio Ávila and former secretary of State Fátima Fonseca. Leaving the The National Secretariat includes MEPs Ana Catarina Mendes and Francisco Assis, as well as Pedro Costa and Sérgio Sousa Pinto.
José Luís Carneiro’s new proposal seeks to combine continuity and renewal in the socialist direction. Even so, Duarte Cordeiro’s refusal to join the National Political Commission introduces a relevant political signal, reinforcing what was already known: Not all important PS figures accept being associated with the current leadership or being part of its sphere of direct support.
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