The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim, is set to be the next guest at the Clube dos Pensadores, appearing on Friday, October 31, at 9:30 PM, at the Holiday Inn Porto-Gaia Hotel.
In the week when the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026) was debated and approved in general in the Assembly of the Republic, the minister responsible for party dialogue in Parliament will have the opportunity to publicly discuss the document that outlines the country’s directions for the following year, as well as the political movements preceding its approval.
“Carlos Abreu Amorim has maintained a ‘low profile’ stance,” highlights Joaquim Jorge, founder of the Clube dos Pensadores, in a note sent to the press, emphasizing that the “OE2026 is the most challenging exercise in recent years. The surplus is virtually depleted, with measures taken in the last two years weighing on the accounts.”
“The year 2026 will be more demanding, but Luís Montenegro’s municipal victory provides new impetus to move forward; the conditions are favorable for the OE2026. It is not an austerity budget, but there is a clear halt in spending increase measures and revenue reduction to ensure a happy ending. It’s not how it starts, it’s how it ends,” Joaquim Jorge writes further.
The founder of the Clube dos Pensadores notes that “the abstention on the OE2026, previously announced by the PS without drama and with a sense of responsibility, allows for a comfortable situation,” dismissing the possibility of “a new political crisis.” “However, the PS has already indicated changes it intends to propose at the detailed stage: permanent increase of pensions and lower retirement benefits; reduction of VAT on more basic food items; increase in support for former combatants and firefighters. Essentially, redirecting Social Security revenues, unaccounted ISP collections, and avoiding prescription of tax debts,” Joaquin Jorge emphasizes.
It should be noted that the Government’s State Budget proposal for 2026 was approved in general on Tuesday in the Assembly of the Republic, with votes in favor from PSD and CDS-PP and abstentions from PS, PAN, and JPP. Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, and BE voted against the PSD/CDS-PP Government’s proposal.
This marks the first State Budget of the XXV Constitutional Government, the second PSD/CDS-PP coalition executive led by Luís Montenegro, who took office less than five months ago.
The detailed discussion of the State Budget begins on Wednesday in the Committee on Budget, Finance, and Public Administration, where all ministers and institutions such as the Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Council, and the Public Finance Council will be heard.
The hearings conclude on November 7, the deadline for parties to submit budget amendment proposals.
The final overall vote on the State Budget is scheduled for November 27.
Finally, it is worth recalling that in recent times the Clube dos Pensadores hosted presidential candidates Gouveia e Melo and António José Seguro, as well as municipal election candidates in Porto Pedro Duarte and Nuno Cardoso. Ribeiro e Castro, former CDS leader, and Ascenso Simões, PS official, were two other recent guests.
