During the presentation of the PSD/CDS-PP coalition candidate for the Odivelas City Hall, Marco Pina, Hugo Soares addressed the central issue criticized by the opposition in recent days — healthcare.
“The opposition doesn’t acknowledge that today, a year after we began governing, more Portuguese citizens have family doctors compared to a year ago. There are more emergency services open than closed compared to a year ago. Today, there are shorter wait times in emergency services and for surgeries in hospitals, particularly for oncological surgeries,” he stated.
Regarding the situation of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), after announcing that the PSD would abstain to facilitate the parliamentary inquiry proposed by the IL, Hugo Soares criticized the PS and its eight-year governance.
“It’s essential to tell the PS to blush with shame before speaking about the INEM. During eight years, the PS abandoned the INEM in Portugal. In a year, we’ve not only reallocated resources but also started hiring people and organizing a system that the PS had neglected,” he said.
The PSD secretary-general and parliamentary leader admitted that “there’s a lot more to do” in healthcare and highlighted “a giant challenge in the National Health Service to overcome.”
“But I also want to say that I have absolute confidence in the Prime Minister, this Government, and the Minister of Health to overcome the structural problems in the National Health Service,” he assured.
Hugo Soares took the opportunity during the municipal candidacy presentation in Odivelas to defend the government’s policies on security and immigration, describing the latter as “humanistic and responsible.”
“We should welcome them as they welcomed us in France, Germany, and many other countries around the world when Portuguese citizens sought better opportunities. However, yes: we want to know who they are, where they are, what they do, and we want to welcome them with safety,” he stated.
The PSD leader identified the Lisbon Metropolitan Area’s municipalities as the party’s “priority investments” in the local elections on October 12.
“It’s not by chance we made choices like Marco Pina, among others in this district, because we truly want to present winning candidacies. We cannot ignore a region where hundreds of thousands of people live and fail to understand that the Government itself must prioritize the people living in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area,” he asserted.
In Odivelas, he expressed the belief that “this time” the PSD/CDS-PP coalition would defeat the PS, admitting he didn’t know the current City Hall president’s name (socialist Hugo Martins).
The presentation, attended by the Secretary of State for Internal Administration and CDS-PP leader Telmo Correia, saw candidate Marco Pina prioritize security, mobility, and waste issues.
“With me, we will finally have a municipal police force and video surveillance in problematic areas, with streets patrolled 24/7,” he assured, also promising the “eradication of all shanty towns in the municipality.”
The social democrat Marco Pina, 46, is running for the Odivelas City Hall presidency for the second consecutive time, currently serving as a councilor without portfolio.
Besides the PSD candidacy, Florentino Serranheira has been announced as the CDU candidate for the Odivelas City Hall presidency, with Fernando Pedroso representing Chega and André Francisco representing the IL.
[Updated at 20:38]
