Pedro Santana Lopes returns to PSD as Montenegro reshuffles leadership

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Pedro Santana Lopes returns to PSD as Montenegro reshuffles leadership
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The return of Pedro Santana Lopes to the PSD marked the climax of the party’s three-day congress in Anadia on Sunday, as Luís Montenegro consolidated his leadership with a reshuffle of the party’s top ranks. The former prime minister, who left the PSD in 2018 after losing the leadership to Rui Rio, rejoined the party just before midnight on Saturday, telling reporters he was “not capable of apologising” for his past departure .
Montenegro’s new team, unveiled on Saturday, includes former ministers Carlos Moedas and Pedro Duarte alongside Sebastião Bugalho, who will serve as vice-president and spokesperson. Bugalho insisted there would be “no preferred partner” in future negotiations, calling the idea “dangerous” and rejecting any suggestion he was being groomed as a successor . Maria Luís Albuquerque will lead the party’s National Council slate, while José Manuel Bolieiro replaces Miguel Albuquerque in the Congress Bureau.
The congress opened on Friday with sharp criticism of Montenegro’s strategy after the PSD joined forces with the far-right Chega to block the government’s labour reform, a move widely seen as a tactical misstep. Interior Minister Luís Neves admitted the police had failed to warn Montenegro of a potential terrorist threat during the vote, underscoring the political fallout . Presidency Minister Ana Catarina Mendes Rangel later accused both Chega and the Socialist Party of radicalising the debate, while Defence Minister José Luís Carneiro was singled out for outflanking Montenegro on the left .
Passos Coelho, the former PSD leader who did not attend the congress, struck a conciliatory note, telling party members he was “seriously rooting for our success” . His absence contrasted with the high-profile return of Santana Lopes, who described Montenegro as a “statesman” and claimed the current leader would have won the congress against any rival, a veiled reference to Passos Coelho’s lingering influence .
The congress concludes on Sunday evening with the election of the new leadership bodies and a closing address by Montenegro, who has sought to reposition the PSD as a pragmatic force capable of negotiating with both left and right. Analysts note that the party’s refusal to anoint a preferred coalition partner risks prolonging the political uncertainty that has characterised Portugal’s hung parliament since the 2024 election.
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