Miguel Prata Roque, a prominent internal critic within the Socialist Party (PS), was defeated in the delegate elections held this Friday, March 13. The former Secretary of State, running in Lumiar, lost to Henrique Sá Melo, who represented the opposition list. Despite his profile as a television commentator advocating for party rejuvenation, Prata Roque failed to secure a spot. Meanwhile, Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro remains unopposed and is set to be re-elected, with early results in Lisbon showing strong support for his leadership.
Prata Roque fails to be elected as delegate to the congress
Friday, 13 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Socialist Party (PS)
- Leader: José Luís Carneiro (since June 2025)
- Ideology: Center-left, Social democracy, pro-Europeanism
Portugal's other traditional major party suffered a historic collapse in the 2025 election, dropping from 78 to 58 seats and falling to third place for the first time in democratic history. The party was led by Pedro Nuno Santos from January 2024 until his resignation following the May 2025 defeat. José Luís Carneiro, a 53-year-old former Minister of Internal Administration known for his moderate positioning within the party, was elected unopposed as the new Secretary-General with 95% of votes in June 2025. The Socialist Party governed Portugal from 2015 to 2024, including an absolute majority from 2022 to 2024 under António Costa, who resigned in November 2023 amid a corruption investigation. The PS previously led the innovative "Geringonça" (contraption) coalition government from 2015-2019, a minority government supported by the Left Bloc and Portuguese Communist Party that reversed austerity measures and presided over economic recovery.
