Luis Montenegro took office on Tuesday along with 17 ministers who will form the new government. The Prime Minister spoke after the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at a ceremony marked by the absence of Pedro Nuno Santos at the National Palace of Ajuda in Lisbon.
The Prime Minister called on the PS to say whether it will be a democratic opposition or a democratic blockade. “Refusing to reject a government program in parliament does not simply mean allowing government action to begin. This means allowing its execution before the expiration of the term of office or, in extreme cases, until the approval of a vote of no confidence,” defended Luis Montenegro.
In his speech, the Prime Minister said that “the government is here to run the legislature for four and a half years” and is “not here on a shift” or to “just do the simplest things.”
“We are not interested in semantic games or sterile politics. If this government, as I hope and know the Portuguese want, receives parliamentary powers and assumes full powers, it will immediately begin to plan and carry out reforms. structures that change the country,” he believes.
He therefore defended: “Parliamentary assumption of office in these circumstances can only mean that the opposition will respect the principle of allowing us to work and carry out the government programme.”
“This is not about joining this program, but before finding out whether there is an obstacle to its implementation (…) Failure to reject the Government program, of course, does not mean a blank check, but cannot mean a blank check,” he said . He said.
Luis Montenegro turned in particular to the PS, which has governed for 22 of the last 28 years.
“Despite its legitimacy as an observer of the actions of the government and as a future alternative, which we understand with full democratic respect, it must be clear and credible as to what position it will take: to be a democratic opposition or to be a democratic blockade,” believes He.
The Prime Minister assured that this would be discussed during the discussion of the Government Program in the Assembly of the Republic, scheduled for April 11 and 12.
“But integrity of principle and institutional loyalty also need to be spoken of in this solemn act, since it involves a responsibility that everyone is ready to take upon themselves,” he said.
Montenegro promised “not to govern for the sake of propaganda,” since “the theory of a full treasury leads to expenses.” The measures include IRS cuts for the middle class and youth, as well as tax exemptions for performance bonuses up to the value of one month’s salary. “Tax cuts are a measure of economic policy and social justice,” he said.
The Prime Minister proposed opening a dialogue to all parties for a joint program to combat corruption. “On the 50th anniversary of April 25, these efforts to build consensus will be a good way to celebrate democracy,” he stressed.
Montenegro assured the President of the Republic that “the government will count on continued positive cooperation and institutional cooperation” and stated that this policy cannot exacerbate problems that already exist in the national and international context.
“After two legislative breaks in two years, at a time when we are surrounded by two outbreaks of war, when we are faced with the task of implementing the most voluminous investment plan since joining the European Union, in which we are faced with a very high level of poverty in almost half of our population, and at a time when the state is not responding adequately to citizens’ access to basic goods such as health, education or housing, it would be inexcusable if these policies are seen as an aggravating factor and not as a solution to so many problems,” he said .
Montenegro promised “humility, a patriotic spirit and the ability to dialogue” from the government and said it expected the same from the opposition, citing poet Sofia de Mello Breiner Andresen.
“Our democracy, which turns 50 this April, is alive. Let us honor the “dawn” that Sophia awaited and know how to build the “whole and pure day” she envisioned so that we “dwell freely in the substance of time.” ‘” he said, appealing to the “overall maturity and level of commitment” to the Portuguese desire “for political change”.
In his speech, which lasted less than half an hour, Montenegro made sure to explain the reason for the creation of the new Ministry of Youth and Modernization, which he translated as “the fight against bureaucracy.”
“I have taken the initiative to create a new ministry, the purpose of which is to ensure that these two topics are addressed cross-cuttingly in government,” he said.
For Montenegro, the modernization of the state “should mean that in all ministries, in all decisions, the consequences of simplification, digitalization and de-bureaucratization are taken into account.”
“The state must communicate better and more effectively with citizens and companies, and also communicate better and more effectively within itself. Regardless of the area. The idea is for the entire government to function at the same speed and using the same tools.” , he explained.
Regarding the central role he wanted to give to youth, he reiterated his concerns about the emigration of the best skilled – a central theme of his election campaign – which he classified as a “family, social and economic disaster”.
“We can no longer whistle into the air and ignore this reality. We need to act in a combined and cross-cutting way to convince our young people to believe in their country (…) From taxation to education, from health to housing, from transport and environment, from labor laws to culture and sport, all public policies must to defend the goal of developing our talents and performance in Portugal,” he said.
In health care, the government will “implement structural reform that strengthens and preserves the social safety net as the backbone of the system, while leveraging existing capacity in the social and private sectors, without unhelpful ideological complexes and with a shared focus.” : citizen”
“As we promised, we will develop an Emergency Program that will be published before June 2,” he said.
Luis Montenegro concluded his speech by quoting the phrase of Pope Francis at World Youth Day in Lisbon: “everyone, everything, everything,” calling for cooperation from all sectors of society, including political parties, and even remembered the poet Luis Vaz de Camões. ensuring that the 500th anniversary of his birth deserves “proper celebration” this year.
“He wrote in the first corner of “Os Lusíadas”: “May the government last long (…). We are lost and working. It seems he is already doing well / Showing the new land he wants,” he said, calling for unity of “everyone, everyone, everyone for Portugal.”