The PKP secretary general warned this Wednesday that anyone who votes for the 2025 state budget based on “pre-election calculations” would be doing a “disservice to the country” by considering it risky to say that there will be no early elections.
“What determines our choice [contra o Orçamento do Estado] This has nothing to do with pre-election calculations. If others do this, I think they are doing a disservice to the country, but everyone decides for themselves,” the communist defended himself.
Paulo Raimundo spoke at a press conference at the PCP’s national headquarters in Lisbon after a meeting of the party’s Central Committee to analyze the results of Sunday’s European elections and the “political and social situation.”
The communist leader began by emphasizing that “unless there is a very big shift,” the PKP should not follow “any version of the state budget” for next year, which will be presented by the PSD/CDU-PP minority government in the Assembly of Parliament. Republic in October.
Although the document is not yet known, Paulo Raimundo explained that the position of the PCP is based on its assessment of “politics in the service of large economic groups”, of which it accuses the government since taking office, “of which everything is an excuse to open a business.”
According to the communist leader, “it is at least risky to say that there will be no elections” before the next local elections scheduled for next year.
“I apologize for being frank, but to be honest, I don’t care about political instability. I don’t think that’s a problem, what matters to me is the instability of people’s lives,” he said.
According to Raimundo, what is known about the government’s program and future budget will not bring this stability “to people’s lives.”
“It is useless, it can be useful to those few, the few who accumulate these options, or those who, due to simple political calculations, do not want to take risks, I would say,” he said.
Asked whether the PS might not want to go to early legislative elections, Paulo Raimundo replied: “As I said, I don’t speak for others, but I will say it again: anyone who looks at the situation in the country sticks to his opinions. “By burying your head in the sand and making decisions based on pre-election calculations, you are doing a disservice to the country, the workers and the people.”
Regarding the fact that the President of the Republic declared this Wednesday in Switzerland that “it is ideal for the interests of the country” to have a long government mandate, Raimundo responded that “wishes must not be confused with calls.”
“I recognize that the president wants this government to continue, but that is one thing and another is to look at the country that we have. Regardless of the statements and the propaganda machine, which is tuned and well tuned, the reality of people’s lives is that life is getting worse,” he defended.
The Communist Secretary General was also asked about Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s statement on the night before the European elections that the Democratic Alliance (PSD, CDS-PP and PPM coalition) and the Portuguese government would support a possible candidacy for the Council of the European Union, led by former leader- socialist António Costa.
Paulo Raimundo responded that it was not about “the person or the characteristics or qualities of a person”, but rather about “political options”.
“No matter what negotiating skills he has and still has, António Costa will negotiate within the framework of certain parties, and the framework that has been defined is that Europe is increasingly moving towards the path of transnational corporations, moving ever closer to war , militarism and federalism, which are the opposite of a Europe of people, and that is what we need,” he said.
The communist recalled the case of Durán Barroso, who was president of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014.
“I don’t want to make comparisons from a personal point of view, but we had an experience that was not like this many years ago, when a Portuguese had high responsibilities in a European institution, and we felt first-hand what that meant. “Especially given the intervention of the foreign troika in Portugal, I understand the flight of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on election night on this issue,” he stressed.
However, the Communist Secretary General did not speak out against the possible candidacy of António Costa: “We will also see how events develop, at this stage we are just in a state of speculation.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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