The European Parliament member for Iniciativa Liberal, João Cotrim Figueiredo, considered this Sunday that the main Portuguese political leaders — Luís Montenegro from PSD, José Luís Carneiro from PS and André Ventura from Chega — are focused on electoral calculations at the expense of the country's problems, at a time when Portugal needs structural reforms. The comment was made in SIC Notícias' analysis slot, where he expressed discouragement with the direction of public debate given an uncertain international context.
Regarding PSD, Cotrim Figueiredo pointed to a purely defensive strategy by the Government, accusing it of avoiding divisive issues such as problems with national exams or doubts surrounding the REN acquisition, as well as criticizing the lack of intention to reform Social Security. Regarding PS, he classified the socialists' posture as a passive expectation to "wait and see if power falls into their lap," noting that the party does not want immediate elections because it is not yet prepared.
Regarding Chega, the European Parliament member accused the political force of wanting to "reach power by all means" and of launching "irresponsible" proposals, such as reducing the retirement age to capture the senior electorate, criticizing the announcement of the motion of censure as a mere tactical expedient. Cotrim Figueiredo also considered that the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, no longer has the conditions to remain in office, after the revelation of informal procedures at the Judicial Police during his previous leadership at that institution, which allegedly destroyed part of the PJ's reputation.
The former IL leader also warned that, while the national political class debates electoral deadlines and piecemeal measures, the next political year will be marked by elections with great impact internationally, including midterms in the USA and general elections in France, Italy, Spain and Poland, in addition to negotiations for the European Union budget, lamenting the lack of fundamental reforms that prepare the country for these challenges.
