In Montemor-o-Novo, in the district of Évora, during a visit to a wine producer, Nuno Melo was asked by journalists about the 2026 State Budget proposal submitted today by the Government to the Assembly of the Republic and whether it responds to the current international crisis.
The government, which the CDS-PP is part of along with the PSD, “is already tested regarding what are the budget forecasts and implementation in the mandate cycle of what is anticipated, notably by the Minister of Finance,” he stated.
He continued, stating, “this budget anticipates a third surplus,” which “means we had others before” and “also shows that the worst forecasts of other entities did not occur and the Government’s forecasts were all confirmed.”
Therefore, we are merely continuing a path that was also based on geopolitical variables, which are the ones we know, but everything has been verified and implemented in the budget plan,” emphasized the Minister of National Defense.
In this visit to Montemor-o-Novo, to support the candidacy of António Pinto Xavier, head of the list for the Alentejo municipal council by the CDS-PP/PSD coalition in the upcoming municipal elections, the centrist leader argued that “this budget is virtuous for that reason.”
“It is a budget that reflects good times. The Portuguese economy is praised in Europe and around the world, and we know that we have a budget that reflects tax reduction, which is important, that does not increase taxes, which is important, anticipates a surplus, which is important, and pays significant attention to the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, by increasing the social complement,” he listed.
Overall, for Nuno Melo, this is “a very good budget” that “anticipates growth and investment, which also considers this new need in the Defense area,” he praised, expressing hope that “the entire Parliament will also be up to the task of its circumstances.”
When questioned about whether he expects the opposition to approve the 2026 State Budget in the Assembly, Nuno Melo declined to replace other parliamentary parties.
“I also understand the role of the opposition. Democracy is made of this, isn’t it? It is made of power and the exercise of opposition. It is not supposed for those in power to replace the opposition and vice-versa. The important thing is that everyone is up to their responsibilities because Portugal is experiencing a good moment,” he argued, providing various examples: “We are going to have, after all, growth above the average of Eurozone countries, this is very impressive, unemployment is falling, we are reducing debt as a percentage of GDP, the results are very impressive.”
Therefore, what is “relevant is that this budget be approved and the country can follow a course of normality, regardless of political circumstances and the role that befalls everyone,” he defended.
The Government submitted today the 2026 State Budget to parliament, on the eve of the deadline and three days before Sunday’s municipal elections.
In the macroeconomic scenario, the PSD/CDS-PP Government forecasts GDP growth of 2% this year and 2.3% in 2026.
The executive aims to achieve surpluses of 0.3% of GDP this year and 0.1% next year. As for the debt ratio, it estimates a decrease to 90.2% of GDP in 2025 and 87.8% in 2026.
The proposal will be discussed and voted on in the general assembly between October 27 and 28. The final global vote is scheduled for November 27, following the special debate process.
