On Tuesday, the President of the Assembly of the Republic warned of proposals that immediately seem good but could jeopardize “future pensions” and said the PS should not impose a presidential candidate.
This position of Augusto Santos Silva on income policy and the 2026 presidential elections was stated by the Socialist MP in an interview with Antena 1 radio.
Asked about the proposals presented by the Portuguese Business Confederation (CIP) to the government, which include voluntary 15th month payments by companies to workers exempt from contributions and taxes, the former Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to comment specifically on the idea of creating this employers’ confederation , but left a warning.
“I think we need to avoid what economists call economic myopia. We should not be fooled by benefits that may seem immediate but could put our future pensions at greater risk,” he warned.
Santos Silva also stated that his “analytical, doctrinal and ideological position is directly opposed to any measures that could undermine or weaken the social security system in Portugal.”
“The social security system, or social safety net more generally, has two main components: a welfare component, which lives on our contributions, and a solidarity component, which lives on our taxes. And so we must improve the situation, but we cannot improve the situation by sacrificing our ability to get social security contributions and taxes into the solidarity system that we need for social security to be sustainable,” he said.
Asked about the 2026 presidential elections, Augusto Santos Silva, who stressed that he is responding as a “member of the PS,” believes that the party “should not act hastily” and “should not impose any candidacy.”
The socialist repeated that in the next presidential elections the party should have two tasks: “The first task is to support a strong candidate, and the second is to unite in this support.”
Regarding the regional legislative elections in Madeira, which on Sunday were won by a coalition formed by PSD and SDS-PP, but without an absolute majority, Santos Silva believes that the party that has governed the autonomous region since the regional government existed, ” conditions appear to be for a stable government for four years.”
“Which, from my point of view, is a positive thing, I consider political stability to be a positive element. It is also clear who the opposition is, traditionally it is the PS,” he added.
Asked why the PS “cannot build” an alternative in Madeira, Santos Silva replied that “from an electoral point of view, Madeira is a real stepmother to the PS,” emphasizing that the Socialists achieved “their second best result usually.” in the region on Sunday.