With the PSD in two voices, Chega wants to be a rapporteur on the TAP inquiry commission

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The first hearings have not yet started and the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the political supervision of the management of TAP is already involved in a first controversy because of the choice of the rapporteur of the Socialist Party.

And in less than 24 hours everything changed. The PSD, which initially praised, began to criticize, and Chega, who remained silent, now wants to be the commission’s rapporteur.

But let’s go by parts. On Wednesday night, at the meeting of the committee of inquiry, the PS presented deputy Ana Paula Bernardo to be the rapporteur, only the PSD spoke with deputy Paulo Moniz having nothing to oppose.

“I want to start by congratulating the deputy Ana Paula Bernardo for this challenge, which naturally we are not opposed to the choice made by the PS. We want, as is required, to address the hope that the work will be rigorous and reflect everything that this CPI [comissão parlamentar de inquérito] be able to demonstrate, because this is the fundamental and first objective of a rapporteur. We have this firm expectation at this stage, the curriculum that deputy Carlos Pereira ended up reading does not raise or raise any doubts in relation to this matter. It is what is always necessary: ​​to wish an excellent job as a rapporteur”, said deputy Paulo Moniz, who is the PSD coordinator in the parliamentary commission of inquiry.

The chairman of the committee, Jorge Seguro Sanches, gives the opportunity to other deputies to take the floor, but as no one shows interest, he concludes that, unanimously, the deputy is designated as the committee’s rapporteur.

If at the meeting the deputy of Chega was silent, this Thursday afternoon the party president, André Ventura, says that he studied the lesson better and came to the conclusion that it is up to Chega to be the rapporteur and will propose this even at the next committee meeting.

“We did not raise that fact and we did not raise opposition, however we studied the issue and will raise it at the next meeting”, said André Ventura.

The deputy recalled that, when the attribution of the presidency of the CPI was decided, his party and the PS were ‘tied’ by the d’Hondt method, and the services concluded that this place should be attributed to the socialists.

“After consulting the services, we understand that it is not impossible for the distribution of the rapporteur to enter the same rules as the distribution of presidencies. If Chega was tied, it makes sense, not to coincide with the president, that it be the reporting party”, he told journalists.

Montenegro opposes the PSD bench

But all this controversy arises at lunchtime this Thursday, when Luis Montenegro criticizes the choice of the PS to be the committee’s rapporteur.

Speaking to journalists, at the end of the parliamentary bench meeting in the Assembly of the Republic, Luis Montenegro even warned that he would not allow the socialist majority to condition the work of the commission.

“The Socialist Party was not satisfied with the presidency of the commission and also wants to have the rapporteur, it remains to be seen whether the conclusions have already been made. We are not going to go along with this”, guaranteed Luís Montenegro.

It is yet another divergence between the PSD parliamentary group and the party leadership. This Thursday, Luis Montenegro criticized the fact that the PS has the presidency of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into TAP and at the same time the commission’s rapporteur is also a socialist.

Hours later, the deputy who had praised the socialist rapporteur, comes to say that there was nothing to be done because the PS has a majority and the name “would always be accepted”.

Taking advantage of this divergence, the Socialist Party speaks of bewilderment in the PSD. Deputy Carlos Pereira says that the PSD did not present any alternative proposal in the parliamentary commission of inquiry.