Political tensions in Portugal continue to rise. CHEGA leader accuses government of intentionally trying to provoke new elections to avoid negotiating with opposition parties over the State Budget. The government which is led by the Socialist Party (PS), is under pressure to pass the budget next month or the country has to face new elections said President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Political Tensions Over The State Budget
André Ventura speaking from the party’s national headquarters in Lisbon has stated that the government never had any interest in genuine negotiations. According to him, the PS is more focused on strengthening its position in the next elections than ensuring the country has a functional budget.
He highlighted that the PS is playing a game with people like Pedro Nuno Santos, who are apparently keen for elections but not clear when the PS machine will enable them to go forward.
The stakes are high. The State Budget must pass or the country will face a political crisis and that will potentially lead to new elections. Ventura claims that this is the last thing Portugal needs, repeating statements made recently by President Marcelo.
The CHEGA leader firmly believes that the government’s refusal to negotiate in good faith is part of a larger strategy to force elections and avoid compromising with the opposition.
Ventura has been critical not only of the ruling PS party but also of the center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD). He called Sunday’s public exchange between PSD leader Luís Montenegro and Pedro Nuno Santos a sad spectacle.
He said:
They both want to get out of this budget soap opera as best they can, without taking responsibility for the political crisis that the President of the Republic has already announced will come if there is no budget. CHEGA is out of this show, because we realised from the first moment that the government didn’t really want to negotiate with anyone
Ventura pointed out that neither leader seems interested in taking responsibility for resolving the political impasse. Instead, he considers both parties have a goal of getting out of this budget soap opera as soon as possible without having to be responsible for a developing political crisis.
CHEGA’s Role In The Budget Crisis
The main parties may be involved in a political dispute, but Ventura claims that CHEGA is out of this show. He said that CHEGA realized that the government was not seriously interested in negotiating with anyone from the beginning.
Instead, the party maintains that the only way forward would be to draft a new State Budget from scratch, one that is not influenced by Socialist interests.
CHEGA has made it clear that they will not support the current budget proposal unless significant changes are made. Ventura suggested that the government’s proposal lacks the necessary reforms and fails to address the issues that CHEGA believes are crucial for Portugal’s future.
He also stressed that CHEGA is not afraid to go to the polls if needed. Although he acknowledged that new elections are unlikely to be beneficial for the country.
Impact Of Elections
Ventura is unconcerned by the possibility that CHEGA might lose 15 t0 20 seats in parliament in a future election, according to political analyst Luís Marques Mendes. He stressed that elections would be harmful to the country as a whole, even if he agreed that they would hurt his party.
Ventura said:
Regardless of who benefits or is harmed by (elections) – and even if our party is harmed – (they) will be bad for Portugal. And I think political leaders should have taken that into account a few months ago
He stated that political leaders should have considered this reality months ago. According to Ventura, Portugal does not need to have any more elections that would worsen the country’s political rift.
The president has also expressed concerns that failing to pass a State Budget can spark unnecessary elections, which can destabilize the country further.
Read More About: World War II Pilots In Faro: U.S. Mission to Recover The Missing Pilots Remains
A Meeting With PSD
Ventura also highlighted the upcoming Friday meeting between Pedro Nuno Santos and Montenegro as an example of the dishonest morality of Portuguese politics.
Just before this meeting was announced, the PS had complained that no such meeting was in the works. But after five minutes the meeting was scheduled. Ventura said that how politics is done in Portugal.
CHEGA leader accuses government by criticizing both the PS and PSD for their lack of commitment to resolving the budget issue. Ventura said that both parties are more concerned with their own political survival than with delivering a budget for the country.
A statement from the prime minister’s office revealed that Luís Montenegro had met with Iniciativa Liberal head Rui Rocha in addition to André Ventura.
Statement reported:
There are no secret meetings at São Bento. There are meetings with organisations and personalities from various fields, including political leaders, on topics of national interest, which often take place discreetly and without the presence of the media.
The government will either have to deal with another wave of political unstability or find a way to resolve its budget challenges in the next weeks.
