Stop the PAN abstaining from voting on the government program in the Azores

The program of the Government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) was approved this Friday in the Regional Legislative Assembly with votes in favor of the parties making up the executive, with Chege, PAN and IL abstaining, and against PS and BE.

The document, which was discussed from Wednesday to this Friday, was voted for by deputies of the three parties included in the executive branch (23 from the SDP, two from the SDS and one from the PPM), while five elected Chega members abstained, one from the PAN and one from the IL .

23 PS deputies and an elected BE member voted against José Manuel Bolheiro’s document.

He’s arriving
Chega/Azores justified its abstention from voting on the Program by the need for political stability in the archipelago.

“Our vote will be in favor of stability, but also the will of the people who want, with some faith, that we can become an instrument of hope in the future,” said deputy José Pacheco.

If the five Chega deputies had also voted against, there would have been an absolute majority (29 mandates) sufficient to defeat the document, which would have meant the resignation of the executive led by Social Democrat José Manuel Boleiro.

Initially, the Chega, the third most voting political force in the Azores, made the direction of the vote dependent on the party’s entry into the executive branch, but this demand was not implemented. However, he began to recognize an understanding with the SDP, the largest party in the coalition.

“As we proved in 2020, we have always been and will be open to dialogue, conversations and subsequent negotiations. For us, the Azores are more important than any personal or party vanity,” he added.

And he continued: “If we have to make some compromise that does not compromise our principles and commitments to our voters, we are ready to take that step forward for our land. But we warn the shipping industry: no, fool us, because you will fool yourself. We will not repeat the mistakes of the past.”

The MP said that this week the president of the regional government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolheiro, “with all democratic humility demonstrated an openness to dialogue so that a political understanding can be reached that is favorable for the progress of the Azores.”

“An understanding that is not just a bunch of fancy words, but a commitment based on actions and goals,” he added.

“The Chairman of the regional government acknowledged his readiness that, through the political, legislative and budgetary instruments available in government action, an agreement with Chega, in fact a multi-year one, on medium-term guidelines would be reached, which would carry out annual negotiations on each plan and budget,” – he explained.

José Pacheco admitted: “If so, we will be here so that, although we are observers and firm opposition, we can take this step forward with democratic humility in favor of the Azores.”

“Even though it bothers many, Chega is always part of the solution and not part of the problem as long as there is dialogue and respect. Once these conditions are finally met, we will be here to fight for the Azores, as we have always done. it was,” he concluded.

POT
PAN Açores said that although the party will not submit a document to the Legislative Assembly, “there is room for improvement.”

“From the analysis of the document, we see that there is room for improvement and dialogue is key. This is the PAN/Açores position: building bridges to follow the path of success. We therefore refrain from expecting it to be a stimulus for openness to implement reforms that must be respected,” said Pedro Neves.

PS
The leader of the PS/Açores parliamentary group, João Castro, criticized the Program and said that the party does not agree “with the principle of continuity” of the executive power led by José Manuel Bolheiro.

“We did not agree on 2020, we did not agree on any of the Plans and Budgets presented here until November last year, and we will not agree with this Program, which, according to the Chairman of the Government [Regional]February 8 in RTP3Even the Azoreans who voted for the coalition voted for him,” said João Castro.

“After these three days of debate on the program of the XIV Regional Government of the Azores, and as we think it was very clear, we are again divided by fundamental aspects that represent the options for structuring governance,” added the socialist to justify the PS vote against announced a few days after the elections in the archipelago.

In his speech, João Castro stated that “the coalition would like the PS to submit to its dictates, so as not to harm the perceived stability by abstaining or perhaps voting in favor.”

“They forget, and it is never too much to remember, that the person who damaged the stability of governance was precisely this coalition, which preaches continuity, which was unable to maintain the agreements it had at the time, which led to the fall her government. “As soon as this was done, new elections, the results are as we know: the coalition won the elections, but the PS did not win the elections,” he said.

Among other things, for a socialist, the government program is “poorly organized, with ideas that are repeated, overlapping and contradictory.”

“This program appears to be on a forced diet. This is a program that promises to create or revise about 23 plans plus eight strategies,” he said.

For PS, among other things, “reduction of public debt compared to GDP [Produto Interno Bruto] This is an important condition for protecting autonomy and improving the ability of the regional government to serve the Azoreans and the Azores.”

BE
The only MP from BE/Açores believes that the Program is “almost the same” and that the party “should be an opposition of hope and trust.”

“The government program presents the same solutions and the same strategic development goals that were rejected by coalition partners in the last budget. A model that puts the market before people,” said Antonio Lima.

According to the deputy, the Program will become politically viable only if “if those who rejected it in November [de 2023] adopt the same policy which they then rejected.”

“Today, as in November, the right is responsible for the outcome of this debate and this legislature,” he added.

António Lima criticized Chega’s position on the vote after the party announced its abstention following a meeting with the regional government chairman, Social Democrat José Manuel Boleiro: “It only took one conversation and Chega accepted the system.”

The Azores and the people’s problems, he added, “are merely instruments for achieving and maintaining power,” so “the Bloc is responsible for being the opposition of hope and confidence.”

The party has an “alternative project to the Government Program” for the region.

“We made this very clear during the election campaign for the February 4 elections. Today we have fulfilled the commitments we made during the election campaign. Commitments to create an alternative to the Azores,” he emphasized.

BE advocates an alternative “that meets those who cannot pay for their home and who cannot find the answer in this Program, which meets those whose paychecks do not reach the end of the month and cannot find the answer in this Program and in this program.” Regional government.”

Political situation
The Legislative Assembly, where the PSD/CDU/PPM coalition has 26 seats, also consists of an MP from IL and one from PAN.

After the 2020 elections, in which the PS won but lost its absolute majority, the SDP, SDS and PPM formed an alternative government and signed an agreement on parliamentary influence with Chega. SDP also signed an agreement with IL, which terminated it in March 2023.

At the end of that year, Chega abstained from voting on the 2024 budget, which contributed to the document’s failure. The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, then decided to call early elections for February 4.