PS does not accept measures “that violate” its “society project”, but “there will only be elections” if Montenegro or Marcelo “want it”
Pedro Nuno Santos wanted to make it clear that the responsibility for the State Budget (OE) does not lie with the Socialist Party, considering that the Government “wanted to choose to negotiate with the PS, and that has consequences”. In an interview with CMTV’s “Grande Jornal”, the socialist leader left a message for negotiations with the Government, guaranteeing that he will not accept measures “that violate the social project” of the PS.
“We are available to facilitate a Budget that is made by the PSD Government; We’re just saying we don’t want two measures. Do you think it is fair to say that the PS is not available to negotiate?” asked Pedro Nuno Santos. And, asked if he accepts being classified as “radical”, the PS leader replied that “radical is wanting the PS to make a State Budget viable with a measure in terms of IRS that is criticized by everyone, by the IMF, by the Public Finance Council and economists close to the PSD”.
“These measures are radical; the PS is being faithful to its vision of the country”, he said.
Pedro Nuno Santos highlighted that “there will only be elections if the Prime Minister or the President of the Republic want it”, assessing that “this does not depend on the State Budget”. “I don’t think elections are desirable. We are not looking for elections or failing the Budget. We are putting pressure on the PS, because the PS is saying that, in the hundreds of OE measures, it doesn’t want two”, highlighted the socialist leader.
And he reaffirmed that “the distance between the PSD and the PS is very large, and it is not the PS that is radical, because in these matters the PSD and Chega are much closer”.
Regarding the statements by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who spoke of “national interest” in approving the OE and admitted that he was putting “pressure” on the PS to do so, Pedro Nuno Santos said that “he wants the PS to cancel itself out and stop defending what you believe in the name of an abstract national interest, that is disrespecting democracy”.
“Democracy is valued in democratic political dialectics. Parties can make deals; What the parties cannot do is impose matters on the other that clash head on with their values”, explained the socialist general secretary, demanding the Government “not to try to impose on the PS measures that violate its social project” when it presents your counterproposal.
TIAGO PETINGA
Praises social consultation agreement and criticizes Miranda Sarmento’s suggestion without “any sense”
Pedro Nuno Santos also viewed as positive the social consultation agreement that will be signed by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, and which foresees an increase in the minimum wage by 15 euros, to 870 euros, considering that “if there is an agreement with the partners, that is good”.
“There are measures that we deeply disagree with (…), but we respect”, noted the socialist leader, who added that he was not surprised by the agreement between the Government and the social partners.
“The normal thing is that there is an agreement in social consultation; What is not normal is that there is no agreement, it would be unexpected if there was no agreement”, he reaffirmed.
The PS leader also responded to the Minister of Finance who, this Monday, suggested that the structural measures of IRS Jovem and IRC could be voted on outside the State Budget for 2025. Joaquim Miranda Sarmento stated that the two measures “have nothing to do with the OE” and can go through a “proper legislative process”.
Social consultation met to take stock of the agreements made by the Government of António Costa
Filipe Amorim/Lusa
The socialist leader said that he “does not understand the Finance Minister’s statements well”, arguing that “the policy framework that the Government presented in the Assembly of the Republic has the impact of the IRS Jovem and the IRC”. “The State Budget has this assumption”, he pointed out, saying that Miranda Sarmento’s suggestion “makes no sense”.
He also criticized the Government and Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Minister of Finance, stressing that “if the objective” of the statements is “to approve the IRS Jovem and the IRC with the Liberal Initiative and Chega, then it is with these parties that the OE should be negotiated ”.
