Arrives challenging Government to comply agreement on lease

O The Prime Minister arrived today to comply with the agreement signed with the party on the new lease regime and argued that solutions for housing go through Parliament rather than “camped or cuddled”.

In the second round of requests for clarification, as part of the debate on the State Budget for 2027, the majority of the first group of questions focused on housing, but Luís Montenegro – who had only three minutes to answer 14 questions – chose only economic issues, not returning to the subject that dominated the first hours of the discussion.

According to Marta Silva, she argued that the country will not solve the housing crisis “with understandings on the left”, challenging the government to “not repeat the mistake” of agreeing with the PS changes to the land law, which she considered to have fallen short of what was necessary.

He then referred to the agreement signed between PSD and Aquira, in which the Social Democrats undertook to make amendments to the Government's request to review the New Urban Rent Scheme.

“If the agreement is fulfilled there will be no wild evictions, no increases in wild income, no unlimited collateral, no unlimited income,” he said.

This challenge was left unanswered, with the Prime Minister preferring only to respond to the accusations of Mrs Enough that the Municipal Property Tax (IMI) will increase next year.

“ We haven't done, and we won't do, any increase in IMI. Who says that, says it either in bad faith or in ignorance. We do not promote any kind of fee update”, answered the Prime Minister.

Rather, another Member of the Aquida Francisco Gomes also argued that “the solutions for housing are decided in this parliament and never camped or cuddled”, then addressing several insults to those who have manifested themselves in the streets by the right to housing.

“ In good Portuguese, do you know what these people deserve? Pull us against the wall and load on them”, he asked.

To the contrary, the PS Member and leader of the Socialist Youth Sofia Pereira accused the Prime Minister of “hiding behind the police” in terms of housing, criticizing the use of batons and tasers in interventions on demonstrators.

“ The housing crisis is not solved by batonada, let alone by an agreement with Rita Matias and Pedro Pinto. Don't be selfish, listen to the Portuguese and give the face ", appealed.

The deputy of the PS Luís Testa also referred to housing, considering that all the arguments used by the Prime Minister at the start of the debate were “a fraud”.

“ It was in the Governments of the PS that more housing was built in Portugal ", defended.

The parliamentary leader of the CFP, Paula Santos, had accused the Government of going down the IRC to “increase the profits of the owners of all of this”, giving as an example the profits of Galp (1.5 billion euros in the first nine months of the year).

In the reply, the Prime Minister stressed that the Government has already approved “a temporary solidarity contribution” applicable to the profit component related to the extraction and refining of fuels.

“ But they should also say, when they mention these profits, that about 91% of the results originate, not in the operation in Portugal, but in the operation in international markets”, he said.

No response from Montenegro was also the criticism of dispensity of IL deputy Carlos Guimarães Pinto.

“In just four years, you will be able to add almost as much public expenditure as José Socrates in six years and more than António Costa in eight years. He is officially the most expensive prime minister in the history of this country. It is the Cristiano Ronaldo of public spending ", accused.

Football metaphors were not left here, with PSD deputy Marco Claudino classifying Montenegro as “the three-time champion of tax reduction in Portugal”, for having lowered taxes in three consecutive budgets.

In total, in this second round, Montenegro will have to answer 43 questions from Members in just 12 minutes, already with the anticipation of some government time scheduled for Wednesday and a few minutes from the PSD.