The socialist Government Portuguese has managed to bring forward the budgets for 2020, but without the support of its long-term partners of the left, the Bloco de Esquerda (BE) and the Communist Party (PCP). However, the abstention of these parties has allowed the approval of the accounts.

“these Are the best budgets since we came to Government in 2015”, he declared in the Parliament, the prime minister, António Costa. Despite this, he was never alone in this trance annual. The centre-right voted against and ecologists, more BE, PC and Livre have refrained, unlike the previous legislature, when it worked the geringonça (according to the PS with Green, PC and Bloco to get the parliamentary majority). Also abstained and three mps from the PSD of Madeira, where the Government has promised a new hospital. In the end, the only votes in favor were those of the government party.

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The Portuguese parliament approved the new socialist Government The public health service agree on the future of the socialist Government

For the first time in democracy, the Government expects a surplus in 2020. The good news has not been applauded by any parliamentary group. “The surplus is not a priority,” said Navy Mortagua (BE), “investment in transport, housing and health is a priority”. The groups of the right insisted that there is an increase in the tax burden on the people and, above all, a deterioration of health services.

Although never acknowledged by the Government for the bad situation of health care, in this budget allocated 800 million euros to this service, with the recruitment of more doctors and nurses. The increase has not convinced nor to the opposition nor to the medical professionals, who have already announced demonstrations and strikes for the next few weeks. Nor do the budgets include the claims of the teachers, who responded with a national strike for January 31.

the socialists won The elections of October last, and if in the previous legislature had missing 30 deputies for the majority, they are now just eight. However, for this term, Costa has not signed any agreement with parties to its left, at the same time, maintain among them a competition for who starts at the Government social concessions. First were the communists who announced their abstention; the Bloco follow them. Only a VAT rebate of electricity may change the sense of the vote of the left when the budget is submitted to the commission to negotiate amendments.

The Government exhibits the achievement of the first budget surplus while the opposition criticizes the poor state of the public health service

In full renewal of leadership in the historic parties of the centre-right, PSD and CDS criticize an alleged increase in the tax burden and the poor state of the public health and transport, reviews that put all the floor in front of the socialists.

The parliamentary debate of the budget has allowed to get out of his ostracism to Mário Centeno, the Finance minister and the Eurogroup, to which Costa was sidelined from the formation of the new Government. Criticized for his efforts to get surplus and by paralyzing items approved, Centeno recalled that Portugal grows to double (2%) than the european average and that the external debt has fallen 17 points in five years. “The greatest investment we can make is to reduce the public debt”, he added.

in view of these data, the debate on the budget ended up dominated by the public health services, lack of hospitals, increased waiting lists and delays in payment to suppliers. In these conditions, criticizes the opposition, who cares about the budget surplus.

Date Of Update: 10 January 2020, 21:00