“People are suffering because they don’t have a house, because emergency rooms are closing, because they don’t have timely access to healthcare. And they’re discussing a vote on a proposal that hasn’t even been presented, that nobody knows,” he said.
António José Seguro spoke to journalists in Setúbal after being questioned about the possibility of the PS voting against the budget proposal for 2026. This idea, according to reports, is gaining traction among those close to the PS secretary-general.
“Let’s focus on people’s problems. People are truly suffering. Every time I visit the country and talk to people, they are desperate in many situations. Our role is to affirm hope, not hope without substance, but hope with responsibility. That is my role, and that’s why I returned to the public sphere, and the duty in this campaign is a civic duty,” he added.
The presidential candidate António José Seguro, speaking to journalists during a meeting with Cardinal and Bishop of Setúbal, Américo Aguiar, also stated that the absence of responses from democratic institutions to issues of housing, health, and poverty constitutes a “breeding ground for extremism.”
“Every time democracy, democratic institutions, do not solve these problems, it is a breeding ground for extremism. Extremism feeds on unresolved issues,” said António José Seguro during a meeting held at the Episcopal House of Setúbal.
“The role of democracy, political parties, and governments is to reduce the scale of these problems and ensure that more people overcome the poverty situation we have in Portugal,” Seguro added when confronted with the possibility of dealing with Chega if elected.
Concerning the potential proximity between the current Government and Chega on matters where both parties have similar ideas for resolving certain problems, António José Seguro argued that “the major concern is for lasting and solid solutions, not quick fixes, to address the issues currently affecting millions of Portuguese people.”
For António José Seguro, Portugal experiences a “widespread poverty phenomenon,” in which “most of the poor are the children of poor parents and the grandchildren of poor grandparents, meaning social mobility is not functioning.”
“For anyone who supports a welfare state, it is essential that social mobility mechanisms function and that there is a social safety net. However, the social safety net is also developing holes here and there,” emphasized the former socialist leader and now presidential candidate.
