During the political declarations period at the Assembly of the Republic, Rui Tavares raised concerns about the potential undermining of the detailed budget debate, warning that if the opposition ceased to propose amendments, it would signify a “true abandonment of the country.”
Rui Tavares reiterated accusations against the Government, asserting their attempt to depoliticize the budget by presenting it as a “purely technical instrument,” indicating limited room for opposition measures.
“This idea, if enforced and supported, hopefully not, by the two parties able to enable the budget [PS and Chega], would represent the greatest attack on parliamentary autonomy concerning the State Budget,” Tavares criticized.
The deputy argued that the “budget riders” dismissed by the Minister of State and Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, are actually “knightly schemes” because they embody measures impacting citizens’ daily lives.
For instance, he highlighted proposals originating from Livre in the budget discussions, such as unemployment benefits for domestic violence victims and the Green Rail Pass.
The deputy predicted that this year’s “budget soap opera” could be “even worse,” given that budget approval is “pre-announced,” after PS indicated a “demanding abstention” earlier this evening to “ensure the country’s political stability.”
Tavares declared the danger of draining the specialty debate, which would signify a “true abandonment of the country.”
For the PS, deputy António Mendonça Mendes argued that the budget proposal “is not neutral” and includes several underlying assumptions reflecting Government choices, accusing the government led by Luís Montenegro of preferring “to lower corporate tax instead of structurally increasing pensions.”
The socialist urged Rui Tavares not to devalue “the political discussion of the budget, because that is the devaluation that benefits the right,” but warned, on the other hand, that flooding the process with “hundreds of proposals merely undermines it.”
In response, Tavares rejected “a parliamentary surrender before the budget process even commences.”
“We cannot abandon the people, and people must see us fighting for them in the budget. Any pre-announced abstention, however demanding, does not achieve that,” he criticized.
Conversely, PSD deputy Alberto Fonseca stated that the proposed budget already “reduced taxes, especially on income, increased salaries, enhanced public administration, and increased public investment,” while also “reducing public debt and ensuring a surplus.”
The social democrat indicated that this is the path the Government aims to pursue in the upcoming budget proposal and criticized that during the last debate, “2,300 amendment proposals” were presented by the opposition, which is “unsustainable and unreasonable.”
For Chega, deputy Rui Cardoso accused Tavares of choosing the budget topic to “escape the municipal elections drama,” characterizing Livre as a “parasitic party needing a host to survive elections,” besides being “bourgeois and urban-focused” while “forgetting the rural world.”
Continuing on the State Budget theme, PCP’s parliamentary leader, Paula Santos, accused Miranda Sarmento of a “maneuver” to “create the illusion” that the budget proposal is merely a technical document, aiming to “conceal the consequences of a political choice that fails to address the most pressing issues faced by workers and the Portuguese people.”
Filipe Sousa, the sole JPP deputy, also addressed the budget issue in his political declaration, stating that the State Budget for 2026 should be “more than a numerical exercise,” but rather “a tool for confidence, social justice, and territorial cohesion.”
[News updated at 18:33]
