The secretary-general of the PS warned today that the government is “preparing the ground” for not fulfilling electoral promises such as career development and argued that the executive is under more pressure from its program than from the budget surplus.
“Today we are witnessing the beginning of a discourse and the preparation of the political ground for the non-realization of everything that was promised. The enhancement of the careers and salary scales of the different professional groups in the public administration will not be born after March 10, it was an electoral commitment of all the political parties, including AD,” warned Pedro Nuno Santos at a press conference at the PS national headquarters in Lisbon.
The PS leader stressed that, on Tuesday, at the swearing-in of the XXIV Constitutional Government, Luís Montenegro made a “speech typical of right-wing governments in Portugal, and of the PSD in Portugal”, with the idea that “there is no money, in relation to a debate in recent weeks about the budget surplus”.
“I’d like to be very clear on this: it’s not the budget surplus that’s putting pressure on the government. What puts pressure on this government is the economic program of the PSD, of AD. That’s where the pressure comes from,” he said.
Alluding to a phrase used by Luís Montenegro in his speech – that the “theory of ‘full coffers’ leads to unbridled and uncontrolled claims for unsustainable spending” – Pedro Nuno Santos stressed that the “theory of full coffers was not born with the PS nor is it the result of a surplus”.
“The theory of full coffers was the result of an election campaign in which AD promised everything to everyone. We’re talking about billions of euros in lost tax revenue and increased spending,” he said.
For Pedro Nuno Santos, the “theory of full coffers was widely defended and presented throughout the election campaign and is mirrored in the macroeconomic scenario of the PSD, of AD”.
“So the excuse is not the budget surplus. If anything, the budget surplus leaves this government in a more favorable starting position. The pressure comes from the promises that AD made during the election campaign, accusing the PS of not being ambitious enough,” he said, noting that during the campaign he warned of the “unrealistic macroeconomic scenario” of AD.
