A wise socialist or the next contender of the socialist leadership? - Francisco Assis

Francisco Assis, Socialist Eurodeputy

In times of making assessments, 

Francisco Assis, ventures a prediction about the fall 

of the socialist unelected government of António Costa 

and is not sparing praises of Passos Coelho 
and the parliamentary group of the CDS,

 (PSD/CDS coalition partners of the previous governance).

"For Antonio Costa, to succeed, he needs be able to choose the theme 

and the exact time for a political crisis to herald in its final ending. 

That's where everything will play out 

and this may happen much earlier than most experts foresee", 

writes Assis in the Public newspaper.

Francisco Assis thinks that António Costa will choose the time 

of the end of the unelected socialist government he leads. 

And he believes it can happen even before that which is seen 

as the most critical time, for the current parliamentary "majority": 

the presentation of the 2017 State Budget in October.

Assis argues, that the solution which Costa found to come to power, 

making parliamentary deals with the radical left-wing marxist-leninists, 

forces Costa to "rule in a permanent state of tension, 

seeking a direct relationship with the country, 

deliberately dramatizing problems that can easily be anticipated."

With this strategy, Francisco Assis believes, 

António Costa tries to put himself in "an almost non-partisan dimension" 

and thereby gain margin, to be the creator of a political crisis,

 that will serve the purpose of the freeing himself 

from the ongoing negotiations with the radical left-wing minority parties 

and to clarify the political situation.

With Paulo Portas leaving the CDS leadership, 

Assis thinks Passos Coelho "has all the conditions 

to lead the Portuguese right-wing parties." 

The socialist thinks the former prime minister 

"has shown strength of character and a certain obstinacy 

which belongs to political leaders." 

Moreover, Assis wrote in the Public newspaper, 

for those who advocate the doctrine of the PSD 

"the legacy left behind by Passos Coelho´s coalition, 

is far from being negative," 

as nothing undermines its leadership

and Passos´ statemanship.

Assis thinks the only problem Pedro Passos Coelho may have, 

is being "too close" to António Costa´s government on some matters. 

"Passos Coelho will be confronted on some occasions 

with the contradiction between a stateman's duties of state 

and the temptations of being a party opposition leader," he predicts.

"The choice will not be easy, but it is precisely in these moments, 

that his future will be decided," 

argues the socialist MEP (Member of the European Parliament). 

Still speaking of the right-wing parties, 

Assis believes that Portas 

"did well to abandon the leadership of the CDS" 

and says that by Portas´merit, 
his party, the CDS, 

now has "probably the best first parliamentary line of Parliament" 

that enables it to survive 
without its most charismatic leader ever.

In making an assessment of the last year, Assis, 

however, refuses to make a review of President Cavaco Silva: 

"It is too early to make a truly objective assessment 

of a man who decisively marked 

the last thirty years of national political life."