During a campaign event in Santarém at the National Center for Exhibitions (CNEMA), the socialist leader asserted that the PS (Socialist Party) represents the “true alternative to govern for the majority of the Portuguese people” as opposed to serving “a minority,” which he claimed is the case with the current PSD-CDS government.
“AD is showing that they lack a vision for the country and ambition to develop this economy; they are incompetent in crucial areas for our collective life, such as healthcare. It is a government for a minority, not for everyone. They invoke the middle class but, when it comes down to it, they govern for a minority,” stated Pedro Nuno Santos.
The socialist leader reminded that the PS supported the State Budget and provided “governability conditions” to AD in the name of stability, emphasizing that “these elections were not desired.”
After approximately a year of governance, the administration led by Luís Montenegro has proven to be a “failure” and has “aggravated the country’s problems,” he added.
“The Portuguese economy was better a year ago,” he noted, while referring to a series of issues in the health sector, where he held AD accountable for the “incompetence” in managing INEM, challenges in accessing family doctors, and the functioning of family health units.
“It is in the health sector where the failure of AD’s governance is most evident. The management of the INEM crisis was incompetent (…) they promised that by 2025 every patient would have a family doctor. We reached the end of March, with over 50,000 patients lacking a family doctor. Yet, there is a prime minister who assures during the campaign that it is easy and quick to solve,” he commented.
Pedro Nuno Santos further highlighted the achievements of previous socialist governments, citing increased average wages, pensions, and investment in science, areas he claims have been neglected by the current administration.
“The PS approved the State Budget in the name of stability, but the truth is the government has made one of the largest cuts ever in the Foundation for Science and Technology, the main science funding body in Portugal,” he emphasized.
Regarding housing, he advocated for “massive investment” to address a problem “that affects the entire middle class.”
“The measures taken by AD have indeed allowed some to buy houses. However, since they were not accompanied by a policy to seriously expand the supply, the only consequence was the acceleration of real estate prices. Today, we have young people even further from securing a home than they were a year ago,” lamented Pedro Nuno Santos.
The PS leader also presented concrete measures from the socialist program, describing it as “serious, responsible, and feasible to implement,” including applying a 6% VAT for electricity, regulating the price of bottled gas, and reducing the Single Circulation Tax (IUC).
