The head of the PSD/CDS-PP government was questioned about this matter during the state of the nation debate in the Assembly of the Republic by the parliamentary leader and sole candidate for the leadership of the IL, Mariana Leitão, who accused him of “lack of courage” for only advancing with a partial privatization of the airline.
“Regarding TAP, I understand, the deputy defends total privatization, and I do not hide that it is also my opinion. But we have to be realistic and we have to be prudent. This is a first phase, 49.9% of the capital,” the prime minister began to respond.
Luís Montenegro stated that at this stage, the government will evaluate “the scope of the proposals” presented and whether they align with the “objective of making the company viable and anticipating its growth.”
“But we will, obviously, from there, see what can be done in a second phase,” he added.
Earlier, the parliamentary leader of the IL argued that “the minimum required was total privatization, something that, surprisingly, even António Costa once defended” and asked the prime minister if “he will have the courage to do what should have been done a long time ago and relieve the Portuguese of this burden, or will continue to keep TAP in the hands of the state.”
Luís Montenegro countered that the PSD/CDS-PP government—without an absolute majority in parliament—had to “ensure political and commercial conditions for a good operation.”
“And that is what we did. Were we more prudent? Yes, indeed. But we were conscious. The deputy wanted us to make a proposal that aligned more with the IL, and then it would hit a wall in parliament and you know what would happen at the end of the day? Everything would remain the same,” he argued.
According to the prime minister, “the IL wants to change everything and then everything stays the same,” while the government wants “to change what is possible to gradually achieve successes that reflect on the life of the country.”
