River support to admiral does not violate PSD statutes

It caused a big annoyance in the PSD the surprise that Henrique Gouveia and Melo prepared for his first candidacy dinner, which took place last Saturday in Porto: Rui Rio’s announcement as a national agent of his presidential candidacy. Immediately it began to question how the party, which was on a day to announce the support to Marques Mendes, could react to the position of a former leader alongside another presidential candidacy.

The reaction was not expected, with several voices to accuse Rui Rio to put himself next to Gouveia and Melo as a kind of revenge. Duarte Marques, social democrat and agent of Marques Mendes, said it was « a little revenge » from the previous party leader. In social network X wrote: «Rio does not deal well with the criticism. And never dealt well with LMM’s independence as a commentator. So he took this opportunity to make his little revenge.

Given Rui Rio’s announcement, many social democrats have questioned in recent days if the case does not constitute a serious violation of the party’s statutes, and it is an old leader.

At the source of doubts is the article ninth of the statutes of the party that refers in point 4: « The registration of the Militant Party ceases to present themselves in any national, regional or local electoral act as candidates, mandates or supporters of opposing candidates of the candidacy presented by the PPD/PSD ».

This is an article that has been invoked on many occasions as a reason for expulsion from other militants who, especially in local elections, have taken positions or assumed candidacies, in reverse of the party management.

However, in the case of Rui Rio, there will be no violation of the statutes. « Opponto 4 of Article 9 refers to adversary candidacies of those presented by the PSD. Now Marques Mendes’ presidential candidacy is supported by the PSD, it is not presented. This makes all the difference, » explains a social democrat well knowledgeable of the party’s statutes.

In the direction of the PSD, although no one liked to see Rio next to the Admiral, it is preferred to devalue the act and to attribute it to read a revenge of a leader who never won elections.