José Luís Carneiro Officially Launches PS Leadership Bid, Calls for Party Unity

José Luís Carneiro, the sole candidate for the leadership of the Socialist Party (PS), officially launched his campaign this Saturday. Speaking to hundreds of party members at the national headquarters in Lisbon's Largo do Rato, Carneiro emphasized the need for internal unity, urging socialists to come together in diversity to defend their ideals.

Carneiro, a former Minister of Internal Administration, warned that those left behind by neoliberal policies or discriminated against by conservative measures would not forgive the party if it remained inward-looking. "They will not forgive us if we now look only at ourselves or engage in mutual attacks on our credibility and qualities," he stated.

Acknowledging the PS's challenging moment following a disappointing result in the May legislative elections, where votes were lost "to the right across all social groups," Carneiro called for a deep analysis of the party's failures. "What I will seek to do, and ask you to do, is a profound analysis of where we failed, when we failed, and what we should have done differently," he said.

Carneiro also made it clear that under his leadership, the PS would not shy away from opposing what it sees as regressive policies, nor would it hesitate to seek democratic consensuses. "With me at the helm, the PS will not fear promoting democratic consensuses, nor will it be tepid in opposing policies that undermine the fundamental values and principles of democratic socialism," he affirmed.

He reiterated the party's commitment to the Constitution and the democratic regime, contrasting it with the horrors of the Estado Novo dictatorship, and vowed to defend Portugal's democratic achievements against any attempts to devalue them.