Paulo Rangel, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, refused this Saturday to advance the new configuration of the PSD leadership before the end of the Social Democratic Congress. In an interview with Rádio Observador, on the sidelines of the main meeting, Rangel maintained that there must be “some connection” between the party leadership and the Government, when asked if some ministers will remain in their positions in the PSD leadership, but responded He did not confirm whether he will maintain his position as vice president.
“I am always available for everything, but In my case, from Foreign Affairs, it would be even more understandable that more intense party activity could remain in the shadows. But you can’t take anything away from my words. Because I don’t know anything and even if I did, it would be the prerogative of the party president and I trust the party president a lot,” the minister considered.
Regarding the State Budget, which is guaranteed approval in general, he rejected a possible “distortion” during the discussion in the specialty. Echoing the prime minister’s words, Rangel responded: “A great sense of responsibility is needed. But this position must be coherent. It is very important that the country has a Budget.” However, he declined to comment in more detail on interviews with the general secretary of the Socialist Party on the subject. “I am not going to go into scenarios here, I am going to say what is expected and reasonable in this scenario,” argued the Minister of State, revealing that he has not yet read the latest statements by Pedro Nuno Santos, for reasons of the Affairs agenda. Exteriors.
When asked about his portfolio, he however refused to comment on an alleged friction between him and the Air Force Chief. “There are issues that do not even deserve comment,” he simply stated.
The interview continued with questions about Miguel Albuquerque’s continuity as president of the Congressional committee. “Miguel Albuquerque has already gone to the polls twice and that must be taken into account, but they do not take away anything from my state of mind regarding his support,” responded Paulo Rangel, who refused to relate this issue to the threat from the president of the Autonomous Region of Madeira to the approval of the State Budget. “Here we are talking about two things: one is the party organs, the other is the Budget. Today, all the answers point to de-dramatization,” he considered once again.
The minister highlighted the “clearly pro-regional” position of the PSD, in which the autonomy of Madeira and the Azores “has always played a relevant role.” “As they always had this role, there was always room for negotiation, which I think is healthy. What I hope is a constructive position, although it understands that regional leaders want to defend the interests of their regions”he continued. Rangel concluded his position by stating that he does not “devalue” the position of the autonomous communities, but neither does he “overvalue” them and rejects that this discussion leads to the Budgets being unviable.
Regarding the other issue that Congress marks – the preparation of the 2026 presidential elections – Rangel repeated expressions by Luís Montenegro: “There is a clear profile, Marques Mendes is part of that profile. It is legitimate that it reaches Congress. But he is not the only one who fits the profile and it is a decision that will be made at the time,” he declared, refusing to be definitive and enter into “speculations.”
“It is a perfectly natural way of contact with the militants.of someone who is thinking – as I already said – about this hypothesis,” he stated about the presence of Luís Marques Mendes at the Braga Forum. “Now, the presidential candidacy always arises from the person themselves, it is not the parties that invite them to appear,” argued the minister, also praising the transparent stance of Marques Mendes about his intentions for Belém.
In addition to the announcements that have not yet been formalized, Rangel commented on another announcement, which was confirmed this Saturday: the membership of MEP Sebastião Bugalho to the PSD. In addition to his notoriety and capabilities, the minister highlighted his “political maturity”compared to that of Ana Gabriela Cabilhas—who was also announced as a militant—and to whom he left the same praise.
Paulo Rangel ended the interview by focusing on the local elections, about which he acknowledged that there are “expectations” and considered that the “Porto chamber is more important than the Lisbon one”, since the latter is often confused with the central government. . Even so, he explained that there is no hierarchy between these positions, but that the municipality of Porto is a “challenge” with a lot of visibility. For this reason, the highest profiles of the party are appointed to this position. And it confirms that winning these two chambers, Lisbon and Porto, is one of the PSD’s objectives to claim victory in the 2025 elections.
Source: Observadora
