Luis Montenegro, leader of the PSD, responds to attacks from the PS and speaks in an interview CMTVwho is ready to govern, but will only do so if he wins the elections. “I will only become prime minister if I win the elections and I will not lead a government based on Chega’s political support,” he explains.
The PSD leader clarifies that he has never spoken to Andre Ventura about a possible alliance between the two parties. “If there is a need for a government that does not have an absolute majority, then the question arises not about what the SDP is doing, but about what other parties are doing. The scenario we are working on is to get an absolute majority of mandates,” he adds.
As for the SDS, Montenegro acknowledges the existence of an electoral alliance with the party, with which he “has been in contact in recent days.”
Montenegro explains that it intends to achieve higher wages for the Portuguese and pensioners through higher pensions, and lists some of the problems the country faces today: “Young couples who want access to housing but do not have it are people who want healthcare and they don’t, students need teachers.”
The leader of the SDP explains that the greatest appreciation of pensioners happened to the Social Democratic Party. “It is disgraceful to see the PS blaming the SDP for cutting salaries and pensions when in 2011 the PS refused to give us clarification,” he says. Luis Montenegro says the goal by 2028 will be to increase pensions that have no other source of income to 820 euros and, in a second legislature, to make pensions equivalent to the national minimum wage.
Montenegro says the PSD wants to change taxation, cutting taxes on young people by two-thirds.
Regarding the absence of Pedro Passos Coelho at the PSD congress, Luis Montenegro clarifies that he was not at the congress because everyone cannot be everywhere.