At the conclusion of a visit to the Associação do Monte Pedral in Porto, Marques Mendes remarked that the document has a very positive aspect, having been created without the most controversial and sensitive issues unrelated to the budgetary base.
For Marques Mendes, this has made it the most consensual and least controversial budget, deserving commendation from the Government.
“Last year, we were embroiled in intense discussions on whether the budget would pass or not, whether it would be rejected, or if we were heading into a political crisis. This year, there’s been no controversy, and the budget is viable. So, a commendation to the PS,” he noted.
On the day when the document was debated in generality, the former PSD leader highlighted the sense of responsibility from both the Government and the PS.
“Hopefully, this scenario can be repeated a year from now,” he expressed.
Regarding the call for caution made by the Public Finance Council (CFP), Marques Mendes saw no issue with this warning.
“I see no harm in the Public Finance Council’s warning. I think any government needs to have warnings,” he stated.
The CFP endorsed the macroeconomic forecasts presented in the OE2026 proposal but with a caveat regarding a possible overestimation of the economy’s performance, hence calling for caution.
“The Public Finance Council indicates a risk of the budget not being fulfilled, and therefore, a risk of ending up with a deficit, but I believe that won’t happen,” he emphasized.
The presidential candidate reiterated that a government always needs someone to warn, to alert, and to recommend, as supporting a government is not only about speaking favorably but also providing warnings.
“Therefore, I hope the Public Finance Council continues to have this, let’s say, positive perspective, not just saying yes to everything, but also alerting,” he insisted.
In his view, these alerts help the Government to be more demanding in fulfilling the budget.
The document has guaranteed approval through the PS abstention and favorable votes from the supporting benches of the Government PSD/CDS-PP/IL, with PCP and BE already announcing votes against and PAN abstention, while Chega, Livre, and JPP have not yet disclosed how they will vote on OE2026.
