“The PAN has already made it clear that it will not give up on the Portuguese people and that it will not relent in ensuring the agenda of the next government is distinct from what it has been until now. We need a very clear commitment to the concerns that the PAN has raised,” stated Inês de Sousa Real when asked about the possibility of supporting and enabling an AD government with the Liberal Initiative.
Inês de Sousa Real addressed journalists during a brief walk with the PAN delegation, interacting with the population in the Avenida de Roma area in Lisbon.
Sousa Real emphasized that this commitment should include more measures for animal protection, such as reducing VAT in veterinary health and implementing a National Sterilization Plan, as well as ensuring “just [ecological] transition” for environmental protection.
The spokesperson for the People-Animals-Nature party also stressed the necessity of introducing new support systems for victims of domestic violence, describing it as a “scourge that must be eradicated in Portugal.”
In terms of housing, the PAN intends to demand solutions for the crisis facing the country, urging the AD and the Liberal Initiative to adopt a vision beyond relying solely on the free market.
“We know that both the AD and the Liberal Initiative have a market-only vision, a market freedom approach. We need a different perspective, the one that PAN has been advocating in housing policy, with a national plan that provides responses in terms of affordable rentals, student accommodation, and also for those dreaming of homeownership,” she explained.
Asked about a report on Friday by Expresso, indicating that the President of the Republic is willing to delay the appointment of the new prime minister, Sousa Real stated that for PAN “it is essential that the country, after May 18, achieves stability” and that a “government program that meets the needs of the country” can be established.
“What cannot happen is that, even somewhat prematurely, based on the election outcome, we find anti-democratic parties like Chega attempting to gain power and even trying to influence a future government’s agenda,” she cautioned.
The leader of the PAN called for discussions to remain “within the democratic spectrum” and to include not only the major parties but also “parties like PAN.”
