Surplus pressure comes from AD’s electoral promises, points out Pedro Nuno Santos – Legislative

Pedro Nuno Santos contested the idea that the budget surplus left by the previous government is pressure on the current Executive led by Luís Montenegro to respond to the demands of some public administration careers, pointing to the AD’s electoral promises.

“It is not the budget surplus that puts pressure on this government“, pointed out the PS leader, adding that “the theory of full coffers resulted from an electoral campaign in which the PSD promised everything to everyone”.

Pedro Nuno Santos responded in this way to Luís Montenegro, who in his inauguration speech stated that “the ‘full coffers’ theory leads to excessive and uncontrolled demands for unsustainable expenses”. For the socialist leader, “the excuse is not the budget surplus”, remembering that the PS warned of “the unrealism of the macroeconomic scenario”.

In reaction, almost 24 hours after the inauguration – in which he was not present – Pedro Nuno Santos considered that Montenegro’s speech was “victimization”, “lamentation” and “complaint”more focused on the opposition than on the country.

The PS general secretary attacked Luís Montenegro, rejecting the idea that it must be the socialist bench that supports the new Government, pointing out what he considered to be “blackmail”.

“The PSD and the Government cannot place themselves in a position that they already placed themselves in during the election of the President of the Assembly of the Republic, waiting for the PS to resolve or give the biggest boost that the Portuguese people did not give to the AD”, stated the PS leader, rejecting the idea that the party “is obliged to support and enable a Government that wants to implement a program with which the PS disagrees.” And he recalled the results of the legislative elections. “In the last elections, the AD had 28.84% of votes and the PS had 28%, a difference of around 50 thousand votes, minus two deputies.”

Pedro Nuno Santos also underlined that “if Luís Montenegro’s no is no, it is to be taken seriously, what I said on election night is also to be taken seriously: the PS will be a responsible opposition. We will vote in favor of what we agree with and against which we don’t agree with.”

The challenge to the prime minister

Considering that Luís Montenegro’s inauguration speech seemed more like “a narrative to be used in a possible electoral campaign” and not of “a Government of action”, Pedro Nuno Santos puts the ball in AD’s court when it comes to measures in which there is consensus not only with the PS, but with other opposition parties. The socialist leader gave the example of a possible amending budget to increase salaries for some careers such as teachers, security forces, medical personnel or bailiffs. Pedro Nuno revealed that on matters of consensus “it is a conversation that I will try to have with the prime minister”.

(News updated at 5:30 pm with more statements)