After watching and listening to a video in which António Costa accuses Rui Rio of yielding to Chega by agreeing to discuss returning from a life sentence in Portugal, PSD is now calling on PS to “keep calm and campaign seriously. “.
In a statement, PSD Secretary General Jose Silvano said Antonio Costa’s response was “unprecedented” and “distorts the words of Rui Rio.” The Social Democratic leader says “in an apparent attempt to deceive the Portuguese,” insisting that Rio did not advocate a return from life imprisonment.
“This statement is all the more surprising as it follows from another, also misleading and in the same sense, made by his Deputy Secretary General, José Luis Carneiro,” he adds.
The SDP also states that the IS has carried out “distortion of fact that does not contribute to the dignity of political debate” and that this “could lead to a disinformation campaign that will certainly harm political parties and the country in the January 30 elections.”
Jose Silvano writes that “everything is unfair in politics” and calls on various parties, “in particular PS”, to conduct “a serious and educational campaign around the ideas that each of them defends for the country.”
Rui Rio tweeted this Tuesday that “continuing to misrepresent what I am saying is another week and Antonio Costa will probably accuse me of advocating that women should wear the burqa.”
After yesterday’s face-to-face meeting, where the leader of the SDP discussed some of Chega’s proposals, such as the restoration of life imprisonment, although he did not take a clear position, Rio was accused, first by Security Assistant Secretary General Jose Luis Carneiro and later Antonio Costa himself for succumbing populism, “negotiating live and live” with party leader Chega, and ultimately reinstated life imprisonment.
“We watched with amazement, live and alive, Dr. Rui Rio, for convenience or selective necessity, was ready to consider, together with Andre Ventura, various ways to restore life imprisonment,” criticizes Antonio Costa.
The current prime minister adds that “even the dictatorship did not question this tradition” and “under no circumstances can we compromise on principles or values.”
