During a question and answer session with students from Escola Secundária António Damásio in Lisbon regarding the proposed State Budget for 2026, José Luís Carneiro explained the Socialist Party’s abstention. He argued that the party approved the document to demonstrate its role as a party of solutions, not obstruction.
“We do not want to block the country or the Government. We want the Government to fulfill its commitments, having legitimacy because it was elected by a majority of the Portuguese, while we progressively establish ourselves as a credible alternative,” he elaborated.
Carneiro conveyed that the Socialist Party believes, based on citizens’ feedback, that the Portuguese did not desire a new political crisis and expected the party to contribute to political stability, allowing the election winners to address the nation’s needs without finding excuses for unmet commitments.
“A responsible opposition party’s vote against would allow those who won with a majority to claim, ‘We couldn’t proceed because the opposition parties blocked our governance.’ The Socialist Party is not a party of obstruction but a party of solutions,” Carneiro added.
The Socialist secretary-general recalled the Government’s compliance with the Socialist Party’s demand to “remove political dimensions and public policies from the Budget,” explaining the party’s abstention. However, he asserted that the Socialist Party remains critical of the budget proposal, reiterating its perceived lack of credibility.
Carneiro accused the Government of lacking credibility by “under-budgeting expenses and inflating revenue,” citing the executive’s “forecast of a 10% cut in health spending,” a figure he deems unrealistic.
“We all know it’s not believable that there could be a 10% cut in the health sector, despite recent reports of directives to hospital administrations to reduce consultations, surgeries, and procurement, including medications,” he explained to the students.
Carneiro emphasized that the “Government has a year, until the end of 2026, to address issues in housing, health, incomes, and implement the Recovery and Resilience Plan,” assuring that the Socialists will continue to oppose disagreeable policies and propose alternatives.
On housing, Carneiro highlighted the importance of advancing with modular constructions, a National Controlled Cost Construction Plan, and addressing emergency housing shortages.
“It’s necessary to bolster this response. The Government initially mentioned 59,000 houses and is now discussing 130,000 houses. The budget lacks clarity on this aspect. The Government has announced seeking financing from the European Investment Bank for these 130,000 houses, but I fear a repeat of the school situation (…) Initially, 450 schools were promised, but it was ultimately revealed there would only be 30,” he commented.
