“I am here to highlight the work of our young socialists who wish to present an agenda for democratic local power, with priorities that are highly relevant to the Portuguese. The first is to try to enhance the average incomes of younger people,” stated José Luís Carneiro.
The remarks were made upon entering the Socialist Youth Municipal Convention in Coimbra, attended by approximately 80 youths. Carneiro emphasized that the young members aim to improve average incomes, facilitating their convergence with European average incomes.
“The second major priority of our youth is housing. It is untenable to witness the Government’s passivity when Portugal has been the OECD country where housing costs have surged the most. We have not seen a structured response from the Government in terms of supply, and even worse, the information from local authorities indicates they have been unable to contact the IHRU [Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation] for months,” he added.
To journalists, the PS leader noted that the third major concern is the cost of living, particularly food expenses.
“It is crucial to reaffirm the proposals we presented in our electoral program, notably the Zero VAT for essential food items, as they are rising exponentially and this is severely impacting families,” he argued.
Finally, José Luís Carneiro addressed the quality of democratic life.
“Our young people are very concerned about how the far-right, populism, and the radicalization of societies are disrupting the healthy, constructive dialogue of a qualified and European democracy that is pluralistic, diverse, and respects human rights, valuing them daily in the agenda to uphold the dignity of every person,” he mentioned.
When questioned about the possibility of Mário Centeno running for presidency, after Centeno did not rule out returning to politics in an interview with RTP, the PS Secretary-General insisted he had already commented on the presidential elections.
“We can only say that we will welcome him with open arms whenever and however he wishes to participate in the life of the Socialist Party,” he concluded.
