“Once again, it brings us nothing new compared to what has been the governance this year, except from the perspective of propaganda and recycling of measures; just look at the response given so far to U.S. tariffs, which is a recycling of the Economy program,” stated Inês Sousa Real in Porto, speaking to the press.
At the sidelines of the launch of PAN’s Political Training Academy in the city, the leader of the PAN party accused the administration led by Luís Montenegro of being a “Government of propaganda instead of a Government that had the opportunity to execute and make a difference in people’s lives and opted to drag the country into a political crisis for even electoral convenience.”
Regarding the AD’s intention to raise the national minimum wage to 1,100 euros by 2029, one of the measures included in the program, Inês Sousa Real agreed that this “is the route the country needs to take,” but she also issued warnings: “For us, it is absolutely essential that there is a strategy that also allows for the same increase concerning the average wage.”
The president of PSD, Luís Montenegro, presented the electoral program of the AD – PSD/CDS Coalition for the legislative elections scheduled for May 18, on Friday.
Notícia at 09:22 – April 12, 2025
“We cannot forget that in such a sensitive economic context as Europe and the world are experiencing now (…), it is essential that we are aware that it is not certain that there will be no deficit, nor is it certain that we will not have a recession that jeopardizes jobs and the financial capacity of companies,” she said.
Therefore, she pointed out, “this increase in the minimum wage, which in PAN’s view is a route the country has to take, should be discussed and worked on in the field of Social Concertation.”
“Although these are measures that, of course, all people desire, this increase must be accompanied by a package that guarantees access to housing, essential goods, such as food, and health,” she emphasized.
Regarding Health, the PAN leader accused the current prime minister of being out of touch with reality when claiming advances have been made: “I recall that Luís Montenegro said he would contribute to reducing the number of people without a family doctor, and we end this term with 34,000 more people without a family doctor, with more emergency rooms closed in the summer and also during Christmas.
“Health is not only not better, but clearly, this demonstrates a disconnection from the reality that people live and feel in their daily struggle for access to healthcare,” she considered.
For the PAN, the country needs “solutions to relieve pressure on the National Health Service (SNS)” and “what cannot happen is the intention of this Government, which is privatization, the replacement of the SNS by private entities because the SNS must indeed be what it is — the public service of Portugal — and private health should be complementary.”
Inês Sousa Real also accused the Government of wanting to backtrack on animal protection: “We know that this is a Government that wants setbacks, that wants to return to euthanizing animals in shelters, despite only secretly saying so and not openly admitting it to citizens.”
“[The Government] wants to perpetuate bullfighting, and therefore, we are talking about a Government that is out of sync with the social sensibilities of our time,” she concluded.
