The socialist leader said he would make contact with Luís Montenegro himself to express his availability. And he suggested indicating “two names who can, within 30 days, build an agreement that allows us to find a solution by the summer to resolve the situation of these Public Administration professionals even before the start of the summer holidays”, he detailed after the meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Belém. But he stressed that the feasibility of an amending budget will be “limited to matters where there is consensus”.
Do you want to participate in the decision on the location of the airport?
Likewise, he expressed the PS’s willingness to participate in the decision on the future location of the airport and thus stop this 50-year indecision”. And “this is the way we will work from now on”.
Upon leaving the audience in Belém, the socialist leader had begun by highlighting that, when “no profound change in Sunday’s results is expected”, the PS “does not have a majority to present”.
He said he hoped that the leader of the Right-wing coalition “tomorrow presents a stable government solution” and highlighted that “the PS will be the Opposition and democratic alternative to an AD Government in this new political framework”.
“Responsible opposition”
But he made it clear that the PS “will not support the AD Government”. Furthermore, “the fact that we lead the Opposition does not mean that we will not be a responsible opposition”. For this reason, your party “will not vote on documents and initiatives on matters with which it does not agree, but, obviously, on matters where there are common points of view and the possibility of understanding, the PS is open to these understandings being implemented.”
By way of example, he said that, “from the outset, throughout the campaign it was clear to everyone that there was a broad consensus that went beyond the PS itself and the AD on the need to value the careers and salary scales of some professional groups in the Administration public.”
“We have this desire and we know that there is no reason to drag our feet on this matter. The Government still in office has left us in an economic, financial and political situation that allows us to take this step forward and the PS wants to be part of this solution “, stated Pedro Nuno Santos.
“Therefore, we are available to find with the winning coalition, with the Government, a solution that allows these professionals to have their situation resolved by the summer. We are talking about teachers, security forces, health professionals, not only doctors, and we also include court officials”, stated the PS leader.
Rectification to change expense limits
“Taking into account that it may be necessary to change expenditure limits, we are available to facilitate an amending budget that is limited to matters of consensus”, he then assured. “This is a way that we can all find to resolve an issue that concerns us and is transversal to everyone”, added Pedro Nuno Santos.
In this way, “the PS would not be faced with voting on an initiative or a budget with proposals with which it does not agree, but we would limit this budget to matters on which there is a broad consensus among political parties with parliamentary representation”. “We have to limit the perimeter of this rectification”, he insisted afterwards.
