Support for older people, health vouchers and benefits for young people: see measures presented by Montenegro.

PSD leader Luis Montenegro spoke at the closing of the Democratic Alliance congress, which took place this Sunday in Estoril.

“It is important that the Portuguese know that the PS and its candidate want to deduct maximum taxes from people, families and companies. But why do they want to do this? They want to do that and then tie them to subsidies and aid.” , he ruled.

The leader of the Social Democrats stated that the goal of the socialists is to “impoverish in order to weaken, weaken in order to bind, bind in order to perpetuate.”

Montenegro said his opponent Pedro Nuno Santos is “against tax cuts” and “he is consistent on this”: “This is not one of those cases where he promises to do the opposite of what he has done, nor is it one of those cases where he suddenly he says the exact opposite of what he said before.”

“We understand that tax cuts are necessary to expand opportunities for the middle class, increase incomes and therefore raise wages for people so they can have their projects here, and we advocate lower taxes on companies so there is more investment.” more innovation, more competitiveness,” he emphasized, noting that “the PS thinks differently.”

SDP leader promises reconciliation with pensioners

The PSD president said it was time for the party to “make peace with Portuguese pensioners and pensioners” and announced “100% support” for medicines in situations of proven economic insufficiency for the treatment of chronic diseases.

“The time has come to reconcile with Portuguese pensioners and pensioners,” Luís Montenegro said in the closing speech of the congress of the Democratic Alternative, the coalition that unites the PSD, CDS-PP and PPM in early legislative elections on March 10.

Montenegro acknowledged that many elderly and pensioners still have “doubts and concerns” about coalition bets, saying it did not want to discuss the reasons why, but vowed to instruct government authorities to avoid “isolation, loneliness and often poverty in Adults.”

He therefore confirmed the commitment announced at the last Extraordinary Congress to “evaluate pensions according to the criteria of the law, giving greater value to those that are lower” and to increase the basic value of the Solidarity Supplement for older people to 820 euros in the first legislature and “equal to the national minimum wage ” in a possible second legislature.

“To this we will add an active aging policy and increased support for purchasing medicines. We are preparing our program, which will include 100% support in situations of proven economic insufficiency for the treatment of the most chronic pathologies,” he announced.

“Our commitments are serious, fair and achievable,” he added.

Health Emergency Plan

The PSD President has committed himself, within the first two months of his government, to presenting an emergency action plan to be implemented by the end of 2025 in the health sector, and to immediately begin negotiations with police representatives.

Luis Montenegro also committed to instruct the head of AD, within the first 60 days, to “close the issue of full reimbursement of teachers’ working hours” in accordance with the already announced conditions (phased return of 25% over four years).

In the health sector, Montenegro specified that the emergency plan for 2024 and 2025 will have three directions: starting with reducing the time it takes to make appointments with family doctors, including teleconsultations as an alternative to face-to-face care, and ensuring that nurses and doctors also resort to for help from family members. into the private and social sectors.

In emergencies, the SDP leader pledged to “redefine the network and incentive system for all specialists”, and to promote closer integration with primary health care.

“We want to provide same-day care for acute illness,” he said, promising a focus on obstetrics and pediatrics.

Montenegro has also committed to issuing a “voucher” for specialized consultations and operations whenever the maximum guaranteed response time is exceeded “within one hour” on SNS, so that the user can choose another service provider.

“Health requires structural changes, the implementation of which takes more time, but this emergency plan has a goal: by the end of 2025, to end waiting lists that exceed the maximum guaranteed time, and to ensure that family medicine responds to all users in Portugal,” he said.

In education, in addition to saving teachers time, the SDP leader pledged to reintroduce assessment in every teaching cycle, reduce bureaucracy in schools and make them more able to accommodate foreign students.

“In many schools the proportion of foreigners is already about 20%, but the schools are not prepared. These are the new Portuguese, whom we must treat with the same dignity and the same rights,” he emphasized.

The SDP leader also reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring universal and free access to childcare and preschool institutions of the “0 to 6 year old project.”

“We are not really going to promise everything to everyone, but we are going to protect what is really important,” assured Luis Montenegro, who did not want to stop giving a word to the security forces who are holding protests across the country.

The PSD president said he did not want to commit to the status of the remuneration at this time, but left a promise that his government would begin negotiations with trade union representatives as soon as it took office.

“I am one of those who have no doubt: we need security forces with authority and respect,” he said.

Montenegro wants to stop the “social crime of youth flight”

The Social Democrat also promised a top IRS rate for young people under 35, an exemption from BMI stamp duty when buying a first home and a government guarantee to provide 100% bank financing for the cost of buying a home.

“We must put an end to this genuine social crime of failing to keep young people in Portugal.”

“AD will not let Portuguese women down”

The leader of the Social Democrats criticized the state of health and stressed that AD “will not let Portuguese women down.” “We cannot acknowledge the anxiety women have about not knowing whether they will receive care in hospital emergency departments.”

“We propose to exempt bonuses based on performance within one monthly salary from tax,” he also said.

Montenegro looked at the event held at the Estoril Congress Center to appreciate the work already done. “It’s been a long time since there was political trust that brought together as many possibilities as there is today.”

“People are tired of broken promises. A new way of doing politics is needed.”

The PSD leader stressed that the coalition wants to change the lives of Portugal and the Portuguese people for the better, before highlighting AD’s three goals. “A new attitude, a new goal and a new policy.”