The current secretary-general of the Social Democratic Youth (JSD), João Pedro Luís, announced on Monday that he will run for the presidency of the PSD's youth wing. The current leader, João Pedro Louro, is 32 and cannot run in this year's congress. In a video posted on social media, 24-year-old João Pedro Luís announced his candidacy, arguing that the JSD should be 'truly young' and 'connected to Portuguese youth' in areas such as education, housing, territorial cohesion, artificial intelligence, and security. João Pedro Luís narrowly missed being elected as a member of parliament in 2022 at just 19, when he led the PSD list in Portalegre, and also served as Luís Montenegro's national youth representative during his leadership campaign. The date for the JSD Congress will be set at the next National Council meeting in the Setúbal district on March 28. Party youth wings hope to increase their number of parliamentary seats.
João Pedro Luís runs for president of the JSD
Context & Explainers
The Social Democratic Party ('Partido Social Democrata' or 'PSD') is a liberal-conservative political party in Portugal that is the leading partner of the The Democratic Alliance (AD) which is the country's ruling party, with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
The Social Democratic Party, despite its name, occupies the centre-right of Portugal's political spectrum. Luís Montenegro, who became Prime Minister in April 2024, leads Portugal's current minority government. The PSD has been one of Portugal's two dominant parties since 1974, having formed nine governments including four with absolute majorities. Montenegro, a former party leader from 1996-1999, was elected with the highest approval rating among party leaders at 10.7 points out of 20.
The Democratic Alliance is a centre-right coalition that includes the smaller CDS – People's Party, a Christian democratic party that has historically been the PSD's coalition partner. Together, they govern without a parliamentary majority, requiring case-by-case support from opposition parties to pass legislation.
