The Socialist Party will make the State Budget viable for next year, ending the political impasse. Next year, the States General will be called, which will be the launch for the future electoral cycle.
The PS secretary general, who highlighted that he was against the central bloc, indicated two reasons to make the proposal presented by the Democratic Alliance Government viable. Pedro Nuno Santos pointed out the fact that only seven months have passed since the last legislative elections. On the other hand, he stressed, “a possible failure of the Budget could lead the country and the Portuguese people to the third legislative elections in less than three years”, and there is no “expectation that a stable majority would result from them”.
Thus, the socialist leader decided that he will propose to the National Political Commission the “abstention in voting on the State Budget for 2025”, later clarifying in the journalists’ questions that the voting decision would apply to the general phase, on October 31st. and in the global final, scheduled for the end of November.
“Politics requires choices,” said the socialist leader, “many of them difficult,” he added. Pedro Nuno Santos also argued with the “manifest inability of the right to build a majority government solution”, recalling the controversy with the choice of the president of the Assembly of the Republic, until “the sad episode and absolute mess between PSD and Chega” regarding the existence or not of an agreement to make the State Budget viable (OE 2025).
In a statement in which he highlighted the need to differentiate between the two largest parties of Portuguese democracy – PS and PSD – Pedro Nuno Santos took stock of the negotiations with the Government to conclude that not only the “basic conditions” he presented “were not respected ”, as well as the PS’s counter-proposal was not accepted by the Government, nor were the “three proposals in the areas of housing, health and pensions”.
“It was, therefore, not possible for us to reach an agreement between the PS and the AD Government, as apparently there is no agreement between the Government and any other political party”, he summarized, concluding that “at this moment the Government is isolated” it is “ alone, more minority than ever and absolutely dependent on the largest opposition party”.
The PS sets out to discuss the OE “without a commitment to the Government”, but with “a commitment to the Portuguese”, he added, justifying the decision to opt for abstention and considering that it was the way found to show that the PS is “ a responsible party” and that “will not fail” the country.
Pedro Nuno Santos ended his statement with a look to the future. Next year the party will dedicate itself “within the scope of new States General, to listening to the Portuguese and building with them a program of economic and social progress for Portugal”, he said, promising a movement of “opening the party, reflection and renewal programmatic” and also “people renewal”.
A few minutes after the socialist leader’s statement, the prime minister reacted from Brussels where he is attending the European Council. Luís Montenegro welcomed the PS’s “sense of responsibility”, guaranteeing that it was also “against the central bloc” and does not foresee “major problems” in the vote on the OE specialty for 2025.
I made the decision to propose to the National Political Commission to abstain from voting on the OE for 2025. Pedro Nuno Santos
Secretary General of the PS
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
