In statements made ahead of the upcoming debate on the state of the nation scheduled for this Thursday in the Assembly of the Republic, Hugo Soares of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) emphasized the importance of “building bridges” with all opposition parties. He pointed out that the PSD has already demonstrated this approach in areas like tax reduction and immigration regulation.
When questioned about whether the government’s openness to negotiations with the Chega party contradicts Luís Montenegro’s electoral promise of “no is no” regarding alliances with André Ventura’s party, Hugo Soares rejected this notion. He clarified that the promise was limited to not forming pre-electoral, governmental, or parliamentary alliances.
“If Chega decides to support the nationality law with us, great. I also want PS to join this. If PS agrees to support tax reductions with us, great. I want Chega to approve it too. Therefore, there is no breach of any commitment we have made to the Portuguese,” he stated.
Addressing the current state of the country, the PSD parliamentary leader highlighted the government’s vigorous activity. He noted, besides tax reductions and changes to immigration laws, initiatives in education such as banning mobile phone use up to the sixth year of schooling, and revising the Citizenship and Development curriculum.
“In a short span of one month, this government has shown a significant drive for work and transformation of the country. The analysis of the state of the nation cannot be dissociated from this,” he remarked.
However, Hugo Soares cautioned that numerous issues remain unresolved, emphasizing that the government is “working diligently to ensure the National Health Service (SNS) can meet the needs of those seeking healthcare.” He argued against drawing political conclusions from medical decisions.
The PSD leader assured that the health sector has not yet achieved the government’s desired standards and identified concerning deficiencies. He maintained that the government “inherited an SNS in chaos after eight years of socialist governance.”
“Time is needed, the government needs stability (…) I have great confidence in the Minister of Health, and changing the Minister will not resolve health issues. Health problems are solved by allowing the government to govern,” he added.
Discussing priorities for the return from parliamentary recess, Hugo Soares stated that his party’s focus would be on regulating lobbying, addressing housing and mobility issues to solve “concrete life problems of each Portuguese citizen.”
The state of the nation debate is scheduled for this Thursday, marking the first since the XXV Constitutional Government took office. It will include the presence of the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, and the entire government team.
