Former President of the Republic Cavaco Silva said today that he is against holding early elections and, although he considers it likely that the 2025 state budget will be approved, he said that if it fails, there will be “no drama”.
In an interview with Observador, Cavaco Silva said that in the recent “pedagogical text” he wrote in Expresso, “in no part of it” does he advocate or propose “holding early elections.”
“I am against early elections,” he stressed, explaining that his goal is “to help the Portuguese think” about what political chess is most favorable for “increasing the well-being of families,” since there are “two legislative elections” in the next 10 years.
Answering a question about the advisability of the next state budget, the former head of state considered that “it is very likely that it will be approved.”
“But there will be no drama if it is not approved. It is important to approve it, but at the moment I have no indication that such a strong obstacle from the opposition parties will materialize, so that positive measures for the growth of the variables that I have highlighted will not be taken,” he replied.
Cavaco Silva stressed that “not approving budgets is common in some European countries” and cited the example of Spain, where the prime minister “lived two years on two twelfths and no one died.”
Regarding the departure of former Socialist Prime Minister António Costa to the post of President of the European Council, the former head of the executive stressed that it was “not an executive role” but rather “a task of coordination, representation and trying to reach consensus.”
“I think that Dr. Antonio Costa will be able to fulfill this role well. I think that he will bring prestige to Portugal and I congratulate him,” he praised.
For Cavaco Silva, António Costa “was clearly the best choice” among European socialists.
Regarding the need to conclude regime pacts between the PSD and the PS, the former President of the Republic claimed that “only the extreme right and the extreme left”, that is, Chega, the PCP and the BE, “have incompatible positions” with the very goal of taking “a step forward in the well-being of Portuguese families”.
“The possibility of concluding a regime may be in relation to several political forces, excluding the extreme left and right,” he noted.
Regarding whether the current government of Luis Montenegro should continue its activity until 2028, as stipulated in the electoral calendar without changes, the Social Democrat stressed that “the decision is made exclusively by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.”
“There have been many dissolutions in the past, I hope they don’t happen, but that’s just my opinion,” he said.
Regarding the results of the elections in France, Cavaco Silva considered that “the French electoral system has brought relief to many governments in Europe”, as well as to the Portuguese and himself, showing himself to be “very worried” about the American elections.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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