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In recent months, Rui Rio sent the Government several recommendations to change the new public procurement code, which has received so much criticism for being able to open the door to the misuse of public money and cases of corruption. The two PSD and PS have a principle of agreement regarding the diploma that should be discussed soon in Parliament.
The understanding has been communicated to the Social Democratic deputies this morning at the meeting of the Social Democratic bench by Luis Marques Guedes, president of the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs. But everything can fall apart if the socialists bite the rope. That is exactly what Adão Silva, leader of the caucus, said at the end of the meeting: the PSD can vote against the new rules if the PS does not respect the red lines marked by the Social Democrats.
The Observer knows that the talks took place at the highest level, between Rui Rio and António Costa. However, a source close to the Social Democratic leader clarifies that it was not about negotiations, before repairs and proposals for changes that the PSD made sure to reach António Costa, on pain of voting against the diploma. The government will have dealt with many of the amendments proposed by the Social Democrats, in a process that has been going on since June.
It should be remembered that the changes proposed by the Government provoked severe criticism from the Court of Accounts, shortly before António Costa decided not to renew Vítor Caldeira, until recently president of that institution. Politically, the intentions of the Socialists also motivated many reservations from other parties.
PSD MEPs have even decided to question the European Commission on new rules for public procurement, even claiming that “a clear violation of European public procurement directives and competition principles” is at stake.
At the meeting it was also decided that there will be a meeting of the parliamentary group to discuss the political issue of the euthanasia referendum.
At the end of the meeting, Adão Silva argued that the party “acted as a brake” on a “bad” initial government bill on public procurement, and rejected that the Social Democrats had negotiated with the executive.
“The PSD was challenged by the Government to participate in this process, I want to emphasize here, because the words are very important, the PSD did not negotiate anything with the Government in this matter, the PSD criticized, objected and presented proposals,” said Adão Silva . , in statements to journalists.
The president of the bench said that “the voting direction of the PSD is not closed nor can it be” and reiterated that the party has “some red lines that cannot be avoided,” which he did not want to reveal. “The Government knows them, but they are in the sense of stopping what was a bad bill and responding to the inconveniences of various entities that have commented on the proposal. They told me that 95% of the objections of these entities were accepted, ”he said.
“In truth, the PSD functioned here as a kind of brake on the initial bill that the government brought to parliament,” he added. Adão Silva argued that the initial text “was plagued by various errors, several incomplete” and that the PSD responded to the government’s challenge to participate in this process because “it understands that it has a responsibility to the country and to the Portuguese.”
“To help make laws that are correct, adequate and that respond to the needs of the Portuguese, especially at a time when significant funds will arrive in the country,” he concluded.
