PS says that with the approved OE, the excuses, diversionary maneuvers and victimization of the Government are over – State Budget

Aguiar-Branco: “Lament and repudiation” placing posters on the facade of the Assembly of the Republic

Before entering the agenda, dedicated to the discussion and approval of the State Budget proposal (OE) for 2025, the president of the Assembly regretted and repudiated the display of posters by Chega on the facade of Parliament, asking that the posters be removed immediately.

“I regret and repudiate. It is a number that aims to disrupt the work of the OE”, said José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, to applause from several benches in Parliament. “I wish not to benefit the offender,” he added.

Chega placed posters with photos of the PS leader, Pedro Nuno Santos, the prime minister, Luís Montenegro, and the president of the CDS-PP, Nuno Melo, which read “shame”.

One Chega’s protest against the proposed amendment that ends the 5% cuts in politicians’ salaries and which was imposed in 2010, in the midst of the financial crisis, and has been maintained ever since.

The President of the Assembly of the Republic recalled that Parliament “is a national monument” and that, like the Jerónimos or the Torre de Belém, “advertising external facades is not permitted”.

“Everyone should know these rules, they have nothing to do with freedom of expression,” he said. Aguiar-Branco even considered that Chega’s position was an “inadmissible vandalization” of a house that “belongs to everyone”.

“I regret and repudiate”, he said, saying that he instructed Chega to remove the posters – which has not yet happened – and that he asked the firefighters to “be on standby” to do so.

In the answer, André Ventura, leader of Chega, considered it an action of “political communication” and said that “you can’t have an OE that doesn’t increase pensions, but increases politicians’ salaries” – which is not true.

Hugo Soares, leader of the PSD parliamentary group, highlighted this. That the OE proposal increases pensions and takes a pay cut from politicians. “Mr. André Ventura can make Pinocchio blush,” he said.

Also Alexandra Leitão, leader of the PS parliamentary group, also refused Chega’s “coercion”regretting that this is the first time this has happened, and appealed to the President of the Assembly of the Republic for the posters to be removed as quickly as possible.