The Democratic Unitarian Coalition (CDU) candidate for the European Elections, João Oliveira, commented this Thursday on the recent dismissals of public administration leaders by the new Democratic Alliance (AD) Government, considering it to be a "choice of those who do not truly have solutions for the country's problems". "We understand that, in a circumstance in which it is effectively necessary to resort to the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI), this instrument should be used, but it should not be overused", he said in an interview with CNN Portugal, when asked if the party would support a CPI on the management of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa. The former parliamentary leader of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) said that the "Government is setting its agenda" with decisions such as the dismissals of public administration leaders.

"It has no solutions for Health, it replaces a leader. It has no solutions for social protection, it replaces another leader. It has no answer to give to the police and security forces, it replaces national directors", he exemplified.

For the communist, this is a "choice of those who do not truly have solutions for the country's problems" and is "entertaining itself by replacing public administration leaders and State bodies". "I do not think that this is what is needed to solve the problems that the populations and the country face", he considered. 

War in Ukraine? "The only way out for the peoples is peace"

In the interview, João Oliveira also spoke about the PCP's position on the war in Ukraine, arguing that the party's "speech" "has already been recognised as truly the only way out for the peoples".

"The only way out for the peoples is the way out of peace", he said.

The politician said that the PCP was criticised for having "pointed the finger at those who were behind the conflict: NATO, the United States and the European Union with their policy of confrontation and war".

"In times of war promotion, those who defend peace are silenced and coerced into not opening their mouths. That is what has been happening", he added.

However, João Oliveira says that now, with two years of war in Ukraine and a conflict in the Gaza Strip caused by "Israel's genocidal policy", "fortunately many people recognise" that the PCP's position of "defending peace" "is the one that should have been followed from the beginning". The politician also defended that "in Ukraine or in Palestine an immediate ceasefire is needed, it is necessary to silence the weapons and bring the parties to the table" for negotiations.

"Regrettably, the path that has been followed is exactly the opposite. What is serious is that there is no discussion about how far the escalation of war and militarism will take us", he said.

Considering that "the arms race does not solve anything", João Oliveira questioned "what does humanity gain from improving the destructive capacity of military arsenals" and explained that "resources that should be at the service" of sectors such as Health, Education, Housing and Social Security are being diverted. "There is an element of urgency in political and diplomatic action that must be taken to end the war and ensure peace solutions that serve the entire world", he said, adding that "it would be good to hear some official from a European institution who does not talk about more weapons, more bombs and more destruction". It should be noted that the elections for the European Parliament, in which voters from the 27 Member States choose the 720 deputies, will take place between 6 and 9 June. In Portugal, the vote is scheduled for the 9th, choosing the 21 national representatives in the European hemicycle.

Leia Também: Habitação? PCP critica Governo por não "travar aumento das rendas" (Portuguese version)