The increasing pressure from the Liberal Initiative to reduce taxes and cut expenses in social areas poses a severe threat to the country, according to Paulo Estêvão speaking today at a campaign event in the municipal market of Santarém. Estêvão emphasized that such a coalition directly jeopardizes sectors such as pensions, education, and health, especially in a climate of international instability and rising public spending on defense.
Serving as Secretary of Parliamentary and Community Affairs in the Azorean executive, Estêvão warned that the Liberal Initiative’s push to lower taxes and cut social expenses would lead to significant regression for the nation. He labeled their proposals as “demagogic” and “unrealistic.”
“I urge the Portuguese to stay vigilant. A government with the Liberal Initiative poses a threat to pensioners and social sectors; I have no doubt about that,” he asserted.
During his interaction with the public, alongside the Santarém candidate Américo Freitas, the Secretary-General of the PPM presented the party’s proposals for agriculture. These include enhancing agricultural credit and insurance, supporting young farmers, retaining foreign labor in the sector, and establishing a national irrigation program funded jointly by the government and municipalities.
Estêvão highlighted the country’s reliance on external sources for 75% of its food, making it dangerously dependent in a world afflicted by wars, crises, and market instability. He advocated for measures that bolster production and exports, particularly focusing on the olive oil and wine sectors.
Regarding housing, Estêvão stressed the necessity of utilizing vacant public properties for construction or rehabilitation and noted that “hundreds of state infrastructures are abandoned and could be used.”
He also proposed tax incentives to attract people to rural areas, aiming to combat depopulation.
Further addressing political matters, Estêvão expressed disappointment that many voters are unaware that the PPM is no longer part of AD. He criticized the Constitutional Court for allowing the PSD and CDS to use the AD designation as a coalition (PSD/CDS).
“This severely disadvantages us, especially in Lisbon, where voters continue to associate us with the coalition,” he stated.
