Socialist Party secures 90% backing in leadership vote

Socialist Party Leader José Luís Carneiro Dismisses Claims of Internal Opposition

Portugal's Socialist Party elects new leadership with overwhelming approval

Socialist Party (PS) Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro dismissed claims on Tuesday that internal opposition to his leadership is being organized, arguing that if such opposition existed, rival candidates would have emerged in the party's recent direct leadership elections—which they did not.

During a visit to Lisbon's Alvalade Market, Carneiro was questioned by journalists about former minister Duarte Cordeiro's refusal to join the party's National Political Commission, as well as the return of former PS leader Pedro Nuno Santos to parliament on Wednesday.

"There is no opposition. If there had been opposition, there would have been other candidates," he replied after repeated questioning about whether he believed an internal challenge to his leadership was forming.

The PS leader expressed "great esteem" for his party colleagues and, when pressed on Cordeiro and Santos, declined to respond directly, stating only that he was confident "they themselves would agree" with his proposals to address the rising cost of living.

"Let me say that I just entered this market, and over the weekend, I spoke with many people who shop here every week—not a single one mentioned this issue. What they did talk about was the rise in fuel prices, the cost of living, and how they're counting every cent at the end of the month to decide what they can afford," he said when asked about Cordeiro's refusal to join the PS National Political Commission.

In an interview with Expresso on Sunday, after it was revealed that he had declined Carneiro's invitation to join the commission, Cordeiro stated that by remaining outside the body, he would be "less tied to the current leadership and its decisions," thus preserving his "freedom to disagree."

He added that his refusal also stemmed from "unresolved concerns" and his belief that accepting the role would imply a level of support for Carneiro's leadership that he was unwilling to assume. "I felt the leadership framed the invitation as meaning that joining the commission equated to being part of the team or backing the leader. I don't fit either of those profiles," he clarified. "I was already outside, and I chose to stay outside. I make no judgment on anyone else's decisions."

Carneiro's invitation to Cordeiro had been seen as a gesture toward internal unity, particularly given that the former minister is viewed by many Socialists as a potential future leader.

As part of this effort to project unity, invitations were also extended—and accepted—by Alexandra Leitão, Fernando Medina, and Mariana Vieira da Silva to join the PS National Political Commission.

On Sunday, the PS National Council, the first since the party's 25th Congress, elected the new leadership bodies, with the National Secretariat approved by 90% of votes and the National Political Commission by 88%.

The National Secretariat, the party's more restricted body, retains many current members but includes new faces such as former minister Ana Mendes Godinho and Matosinhos Mayor Luísa Salgueiro, along with former MPs Luís Soares and Sérgio Ávila.

In the case of the National Political Commission proposed by Carneiro, over half of its members are new, featuring former ministers Fernando Medina, Mariana Vieira da Silva, and Alexandra Leitão, as well as MEPs Francisco Assis and Ana Catarina Mendes (the latter two had previously served in Carneiro's prior leadership team on the National Secretariat).