The Portuguese Government, on the verge of electoral advance

António Costa. / REUTERS

The communists also leave Costa alone and join the rejection of the Budgets that arrive tomorrow at the Assembly

The Communist Party of Portugal announced on Monday that it will vote against the State Budgets for 2022 presented by the Government of António Costa, which leaves the cabinet of the socialist prime minister on the verge of a possible electoral advance. The veteran Portuguese politician has suffered a severe setback after reaping the rejection of the two left forces that have served as the main guarantees in previous difficult times: the communists and the Left Bloc, which have 12 and 18 deputies, respectively.

Costa has 24 hours of vertigo left before tomorrow’s session where the accounts will be scrutinized by the 230 parliamentarians of the Chamber. With 108 seats, the government Socialist Party needs another eight to carry out its project, either with an affirmative vote or with abstention. Three representatives of the PAN -the Animalista Party- and two non-attached deputies have already announced that they will opt for the latter, which leaves three deputies the margin for the prime minister to save the process or be impelled to an electoral advance.

The general secretary of the Communist Party, Jerónimo de Sousa, justified the refusal in that “Portugal does not need any budget whatsoever, but needs answers to existing problems, which grow as they are not addressed”, and whose solution “does not arrive by the Government ”. In short, the conflict that has put the Executive on the edge, and shaken Portuguese political life, is the balance between respect for the financial and spending conditions imposed by the European Union and the demands of a left that asks for more employment, better salaries and other progressive measures in relation to pensions and Health.

There will be no “magic strike”

The communist leader warned that he does not expect a “magic blow” to ingratiate him with the Executive and sent the prime minister the message that his party is “always ready” for “any electoral process”, despite the fact that there is a majority reluctant to embark on an election during the theoretical start-up year of the post-pandemic recovery.

The president of the country, Rebelo de Sousa, warned last night that if the accounts are not approved, he will dissolve the Assembly and put an end to a political architecture – similar to the Spanish one – that has worked with ups and downs but without such alarming surprises as the current one. The prime minister avoided making statements, but called an extraordinary Council of Ministers for the night of this Monday. It was the Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Duarte Cordeiro, who acted as spokesman to underline that “an enormous effort has been made. We have never gone so far with the PCP as now, “he pointed out before warning that the communists’ refusal puts” in danger “progress already agreed upon, such as raising the minimum wage, free nursery schools or raising pensions.

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source https://pledgetimes.com/the-portuguese-government-on-the-verge-of-electoral-advance/