The Minister for Environment and Climate Action this Thursday expressed regret over the resignation of Infrastructure and Housing Minister Pedro Nuno Santos, but ensured that the government has “all conditions to do its job.”
“We respect the decision of the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, the decision of Pedro Nuno Santos, the decision he made, we respect his work and the brands that he built and which I am sure the government will continue,” said Duarte Cordeiro. in Lisbon at a press conference on energy prices for 2023.
Duarte Cordeiro welcomed the work of the outgoing minister, who has been in government for seven years and has been minister since 2019, in charge of infrastructure.
In this sense, the Minister of the Environment praised that “there was great closeness in terms of what kind of work was carried out by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Action” at central points such as the railway project affecting the industrial and environmental policy, or port policy.
“These are traces of the departure of the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing and Communal Services, work that, of course, will be continued by the Government,” the official assured, noting that the executive branch “has all the conditions to do its job.”
“Obviously, we have to respond to the expectations of the Portuguese for our lives, our daily lives, as well as a number of transformations that are crucial for our future,” he said, referring to the energy transition and environmental security. transition. .
Similarly, Duarte Cordeiro emphasized that the government “is supported in the Assembly of the Republic by a political majority of one party, it has the conditions to continue its work.”
Infrastructure and Housing Minister Pedro Nuno Santos resigned on Wednesday evening to “take political responsibility” in a €500,000 TAP compensation case against a former finance minister.
It was the third government resignation in two days, after Alexandra Reis of the Treasury portfolio found herself at the center of a controversy over compensation, and Secretary of State for Infrastructure Hugo Santos Mendez followed Pedro Nuno Santos’ decision. .
The Liberal Initiative has already announced a vote of no confidence in the government in Parliament, where the PS has an absolute majority.
Finance Minister Fernando Medina fired Secretary of State for the Treasury on Tuesday, less than a month after Alexandra Reis took office and after four days of wrangling over a €500,000 settlement from Pedro Nuno Santos’ TAP.
Alexandra Reis was compensated for her early departure in February from her position as chief executive of the air carrier. In June, the government appointed her chairman of the Navegação Aérea de Portugal (NAV), and this month she was elected finance minister.
The decision to compensate Alexandre Reis, reported by Correio da Manhã, was criticized by all the opposition and was even called into question by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, when he said that it would be “fine” to do without the quantity.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.