The rejection of the motion of censure against the Government neither strengthened nor weakened the Executive, according to political experts José Adelino Maltez and José Palmeira, in statements to Jornal Económico. Maltez considered that the Executive "came out tied" from the vote, while Palmeira warned that the wear caused by the debate remains, although Montenegro may recover if he manages to maintain the perception that there is no stronger political alternative.
During the debate on the motion of censure, the prime minister announced an IRS reduction up to the sixth bracket worth 400 million euros, covering all IRS taxpayers. For Maltez, "it was not the right political time for this, but it was to avoid worse outcomes." The expert even suggested, ironically, that several votes on motions of censure should be held "because maybe taxes will drop even more."
For José Palmeira, a motion of censure always causes wear, which does not simply disappear by being rejected. However, the political scientist argued that if the Government, through measures like those announced, manages to demonstrate that there is no better alternative, it may "arrive in good condition" at the next elections.
For Chega, the rejection of the motion of censure represents "a happiness," according to Maltez, who highlighted that the party had "an unexpected moment of victory when the PS decided to abstain." Palmeira added that "Chega feeds on this" and "always benefits" from these situations, recalling that "from crisis to crisis, from snap election to snap election, Chega went from one deputy to sixty."
