BE leader says government ‘might want’ a political crisis

The Left Bloc (BE) coordinator Catarina Martins on Tuesday accused the Socialist Party (PS) of not wanting a solution to the Budget, adding that the government might want a political crisis and early elections, which would be tremendous irresponsibility.

“Why is the government saying no to such sensible, such considered, such fundamental proposals? Does the government want a political crisis? Perhaps it does. It is huge irresponsibility,” Catarina Martins said in response to the stalemate on the 2022 Budget, on the sidelines of the demonstration for the rights and regulation of the Informal Carers Status taking place today in front of Parliament in Lisbon.

Martins said she could not understand why the PS did not want a solution for this Budget.

Regardless of the position of the PS government, Catarina Martins is confident: “there are many socialists in this country who also want solutions”.

It is also important to note that the EU has not yet adopted a position on the draft Budget, but it is clear that it will not adopt a position on the Budget if it is not passed by the end of the year.

“The BE is proposing in many cases what have always been PS proposals,” she said.

Asked if there had been any contact from the government after Monday – when the PCP’s vote against the Budget, which will determine the Budget in the first reading, was known – Catarina Martins replied that there had been none.

“We find it perfectly irresponsible that there is no will at this time to build a Budget solution for the country, not a make-believe solution, but a real solution. The people can’t afford more announcements. They need concrete solutions,” she said.

It is not just a matter of the fact that the government has closed the door on all the proposals that the BE has brought to the table, but also of the fact that the party cannot be asked to forget its mandate and vote for a document that doesn’t solve any problem.