OE, CPI to the MAI and constitutional review: Starting the legislative session

O the first plenary of the legislative session is scheduled for Wednesday and the next biweekly debate with the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, will take place on October 9th, penultimate working day of the deadline for the delivery of the proposal of the State Budget Government for 2027.

On Tuesday, during the debate on the motion of censure of Aquistá to the Government, Luís Montenegro announced a reduction of the IRS up to the sixth step, worth EUR 400 million, with effects on withholding at source in November, and an extraordinary supplement for pensions up to EUR 1611, also worth EUR 400 million.

As with the budgets for 2025 and 2026, the PS is available to enable the budget proposal of the PSD/CDS Government, but the general secretary of this party, José Luís Carneiro, put conditions: amendment to the Constitution only with PS/PSD agreement – and never only with the support of the parliamentary right; rejection of the direct or indirect privatization of Social Security; financing of the investments that remained to be carried out in the PRR; and support for the victims of the February storms.

Luís Montenegro has already ensured that a social security reform will not advance in this legislature, promised political dialogue and respect the material limits of the Constitution in the review process, but without being bound by a PSD/PS agreement. It has admitted to bringing closer positions on issues such as public investment and support for storm victims.

The president of the Aquira, André Ventura, was also available to dialogue about the next Budget, but it promises to present proposals so far considered non-negotiable by the PSD/CDS executive, especially because of its impact on expenditure increase and revenue reduction.

André Ventura wants to include in the Budget for 2027 the possibility of retirement at 65 years or after 40 years of discounts. And he warned that he will proceed with projects to lower fuel VAT and to reduce VAT to zero in the food basket.

More than the budgetary issue, the main political priority of Aquira is to press for the resignation of the Minister of Internal Administration. His motion of censure for the government was not supported by any other party in Parliament. But the Enough also plays in another front. It required, in a potentative way, a parliamentary inquiry into the performance of Luís Neves as national director of PJ.

At present, in Parliament, there is a situation of regimel impasse: The president of the Assembly of the Republic warns that he will refuse to admit the request to constitute the committee of inquiry on the action of Minister Luís Neves in PJ if the Aquida does not change its foundations and object; the Aquida only accepts to change a part of the points put by José Pedro Aguiar-White.

If there is an open confrontation between the Minister of Internal Affairs in the Government between PSD and Aquira, the same does not happen for the time being with regard to the start of the constitutional review.

In June, PSD and Aquida filed a joint request to suspend the deadline for the delivery of draft constitutional revisions until 30 December and expressed their willingness to complete this process by the end of this legislative session.

An initiative that left out the ER. The Socialists consider that this PSD/Arrives request “in gross violation of the Constitution”.

In this start-up legislative session, parliamentary left-wing benches have mainly criticized government action in the face of rising inflation and rising cost of living, but also in relation to the situation in the health and education sectors.

On Wednesday, the Left Block votes for a committee of inquiry on the process of digital classification of national examinations. And for the next day 23, the CFP scheduled a topical debate on the beginning of the school year.

The Livre, with the support of the PCP and the Block, requested the parliamentary appreciation of the government decree that approved the new organ of the INEM – National Medical Emergency Authority.

The Liberal Initiative, a party that voted against the motion of censure of Cávez, but defends the resignation of the Minister of Internal Administration, has criticized economic policy and demands reforms from the Government, considering that the middle class is “under attack” and was abandoned by the PSD and PS.