The Socialist Party continues to believe it can govern from the opposition, despite no longer being the largest opposition party, criticized Minister of State Administration and Reform, Gonçalo Matias, during his closing speech at the final discussion and vote on the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026).
Gonçalo Matias was referring to the approval of amendments to the OE2026 that the Socialist Party managed to see approved during the specialty stage, thanks to the voting from Chega.
The minister cited two specific initiatives—the end of toll exemptions on certain highway sections and the freezing of tuition fees for the next academic year—which he described as “socially unjust.”
Directly criticizing José Luís Carneiro, he suggested that the current leadership of the Socialist Party is following the same strategy as the previous secretary-general, Pedro Nuno Santos, in their political approach against the PSD and CDS-PP government.
“The PS continues to insist on the mistake of the previous leadership, and hand in hand with Chega, trying to condition the government’s actions, often in matters of government competence,” he said.
“And Mr. deputy José Luís Carneiro still claims that the government enjoys the support of Chega, even when Chega votes against this budget and does not hesitate to ally with Chega to approve measures against the government,” he insisted, adding that “it takes a lot of nerve.”
The minister concluded his speech by stating that the government is “open to dialogue and negotiation with all,” after noting during his intervention that the labor reform package is a tool to “ensure the country’s economic growth,” rejecting that it is an “ideological exercise” or a “concession to pressures.”
The bill was approved in the final global vote with the support of the two parties backing the government, PSD and CDS-PP, and with the abstention of the PS.
The remaining parties (Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, and JPP) voted against.
