This position was defended by the previous leader of the centrists in a commentary panel on CNN Portugal, on Saturday night, at the same time as the 31st CDS-PP Congress was taking place in Viseu.

"I confess that I am testing my limits to be able to sustain my membership in the party, I don't know if I will succeed, so this self-reflection was necessary with an important distance for more definitive decisions", he stressed.

Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos began by considering as "strong points" the return of the CDS-PP to parliament and to the Government, an event that he classified as "a sign of vitality" and that the party "managed to be reborn like a phoenix in the national political landscape".

The party lost parliamentary representation for the first time in its history in the 2022 legislative elections, when Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos was leader and resigned following that electoral result.

In the opinion of the previous leader, the centrists now have their "silver bullet", with deputies and government officials, having the possibility of "truly influencing governance".

"Now, the weaknesses. There is a widespread perception that the CDS has become a private club with closed doors to renewal", he criticized.

For Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, the CDS "must assume itself as a party of the future and renewal in any organization is fundamental to ensure the physical and vital integrity of any institute".

"Institutions that live both from old cadres and from History are not political parties, they are museums, and the CDS has to be able to combat this perception", he appealed.

The centrist stressed that the party "is Christian Democrat and not Elder Democrat" and considered that "it must relaunch itself and have the capacity to present new protagonists to the country".

"I heard the president of the CDS [Nuno Melo] say today that the CDS has to fine-tune its discourse for women and for young people. The average age of political representatives in the CDS's sovereign bodies is 58 years old and there are zero women", he lamented.

Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos also mentioned "the competitiveness of the CDS on the right" as a weak point.

"I believe that many Portuguese people wonder what the CDS's signature is in this Government program and what its impact had been on the Democratic Alliance's electoral program before. The CDS never negotiated positions, it always wanted to impose values, ideas and political projects on the country. Today, it is up to these flags to be affirmed unequivocally and clearly within the governance", he considered.

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