The Algarve PSD party has accused the Socialist Party of "treating the state as its own", claiming that it is being "transformed into a perverse socialist propaganda machine".
The main issue of the discussion is the announcement that Socialist MPs and candidates would participate in an initiative alongside Alexandra Leitão, Secretary of State for Education. This announcement came from the PS themselves, and the aforementioned ceremony included the presence of MPs and candidates in a ceremony of handing out electronic tablets to the students of Carlos da Maia School, in Olhão. This municipality is led by a socialist António Pina who is also the campaign director of the PS in the Algarve.
Jamila Madeira, MP and head of the candidate list, Luís Graça, MP and candidate, as well as Joaquina Matos, candidate and former mayor of Lagos, were present. However, it was revealed that the Secretary of State for Education didn’t turn up.
The PSD’s criticism is nonetheless strong. “The state does not have - nor can it have – a biased preference. This conduct harms impartiality and puts the State at the service of partisan goals,” the political party said in a statement. According to the Social Democrats, this episode is “not the only case”.
“In recent days, PS candidates in the Algarve have also participated as such in a ceremony for fishermen's associations in the context of the Monte Gordo festivities," says the PSD.
José Apolinário, MP candidate and current member of the Government “took on both roles simultaneously, eventually assuming the role of member of the Government, removing immediately before the awarding of prizes, the PS sticker he was wearing".
In this statement, the PSD draws attention to these cases, hoping that the "National Election Commission will investigate and punish those who do not comply with the law or respect the minimum standards of ethics".
