The second State of the Nation debate to be led by Portugal’s prime minister, Luís Montenegro, tomorrow is expected to focus on health and immigration – and on how the PSD/CDS-PP coalition Government has been negotiating the approval of laws in parliament.
On Tuesday, at the close of the PSD/CDS-PP party debate sessions in Évora, the prime minister argued that the two parties that formed the pre-election Democratic Alliance coalition are “the central political force” in democracy, more focused on action than ideology.
“In this way, we are better equipped than anyone else to build bridges and convergence with other political parties to our right and left,” he said, reiterating the idea conveyed since taking office that the government wants to engage in dialogue with everyone without privileged partners.
In the first month of the executive, which only took office on June 18, Montenegro has already summoned the leaders of the Socialist Party (PS) and far right CHEGA to his office for meetings before the NATO summit – and met again with CHEGA leader André Ventura at his official residence, at his request, on the issues of IRS and immigration (which have since passed through parliament).
The big change with this government is that, for the first time in Portuguese democracy, PS Socialists are not the ‘second most popular party’. CHEGA is. This has rankled enormously with PS Socialists who ran the country for eight years before falling to Luís Montenegro’s first administration.
Today, PS leader, José Luís Carneiro, challenged Luís Montenegro “to choose who he will negotiate with” warning that Socialists cannot be placed on the same level as CHEGA, otherwise there will be a rift between the two parties.
“The PS can never be placed on the same level as a party that attacks democratic values, and if the prime minister is unable to distinguish between this political and social representation, then the prime minister is not qualified to define and defend the national interest,” said Carneiro, essentially reinforcing the ideological nomansland between the two parties.
After approving a new reduction in personal income tax with votes in favour from CHEGA, Iniciativa Liberal and PAN, the government has now also managed to pass changes to the law on foreigners – all flying in the face of PS Socialists.
In the area of health, Ventura has already challenged the prime minister to present a plan for the sector in the state of the nation debate, while José Luís Carneiro has sent Montenegro a proposal to create a coordination unit for hospital emergencies.
The shameful demolitions of shanty dwellings by the Socialist Lisbon municipalities of Loures and Amadora, as well as the opening of an investigation by the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) into disclosure of childrens’ names by CHEGA may also be brought up tomorrow’s debate.
The last political debate before the summer, lasting approximately four hours, will open with a speech by the prime minister, which may last up to 40 minutes. The debate will also be closed by the government.
Source material: LUSA
