Montenegro warns of voter fatigue and blames PS for recent instability

The PSD president warned on Tuesday that “people are tired of elections and political games” and held the PS responsible for government instability that led to early legislative elections in 2022 and on March 10.

During a lunch with the Portuguese Tourism Confederation (CTP), the organization’s president, Francisco Calheiros, asked Luis Montenegro to say how he would guarantee stability if he became prime minister, and he reiterated that the AD (Portuguese Tourism Confederation) coalition including the CDS- PP and PPM) is the political force with the best conditions for this.

“Everything is open, we must consider an even stronger majoritarian scenario,” he said, meaning an absolute majority, and even considered it a “comparative advantage” that the PS had already stated that this would not prevent the formation of a minority government from AD.

In front of an audience from the tourism sector, Montenegro warned that “people are tired of elections, they are tired of political games,” saying that two early legislative elections took place “due to the incapacity of the PS.”

“In 2021, the government fell because the PS fell out with the PKP and BE. In 2023 the government fell due to the incapacity of the PS – this is more difficult to explain because there was an absolute majority – it was not a fight between the PS and other parties. This was the maximum, or at least anger at myself. It couldn’t stand it and fell apart,” he criticized.

In 2021, the Assembly of the Republic was dissolved after the state budget was “over-fulfilled”, and last November Prime Minister António Costa resigned after the Attorney General’s Office announced he was being targeted. judicial investigation initiated by the prosecutor’s office at the Supreme Court as a result of Operation Influencer.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, immediately accepted the resignation of the Prime Minister, decided to dissolve Parliament and called early legislative elections for March 10.

If he wins the elections without an absolute majority, the PSD president reiterated that he will govern with a relative majority “in terms of constant dialogue” with other parties and with institutional and social forces.

At a lunch with CTP, Montenegro committed, as in the lists of deputies, to open the possible list of the AD government to independent candidates.

“I will make every effort to ensure that the Portuguese can see their government more often than in recent years,” he said.

Regarding the task set by the President of the KTP to create a ministry or at least a state secretariat dealing exclusively with tourism, Montenegro did not give an unambiguous answer.

However, ensuring that whoever holds this portfolio in the government that he can lead has a place in the monthly thematic Council of Ministers that they intend to hold on economic issues (along with two other areas that will also be eligible for specific sessions such as climate transition and digital transition).