Portuguese politicians “should earn more”

5% cut may soon come to an end, almost 15 years later. “It was necessary to put an end to this danger.”

PSD e CDS-PP will propose in the State Budget for 2025 (OE2025) the end of 5% cuts in politicians’ salaries.

The cuts have applied for almost 15 years to the President of the Republic, President of the Assembly of the Republic, Prime Minister, deputies, members of the government, representatives of the Republic for the autonomous regions, deputies to the Legislative Assemblies of the autonomous regions, members of the regional governments, civil governor and vice-governor and full-time president and councilors of municipal councils.

These cuts have been in effect since 2010 and have never been revoked. But now PSD and CDS consider that “it is the most basic justice” to end this measure.

According to Hugo Soares, parliamentary leader of the PSD, the proposal will be for the end of the cuts to have “immediate effects”, but said he was available to adjust it with the other parliamentary groups.

O PS already reacted: accept this reversal but it should only be applied to future mandates – to prevent current political office holders from benefiting.

A deputy in the Assembly of the Republic receives 3,892.14 liquid euros. Without the exceptional 5% reduction, the net salary would be R$4,096.99. Then there are representation expenses, which largely depend on the position.

“It’s not much”

Os politicians in Portugal “should earn more”. The summary is by Pedro Benevides, who applauds this AD proposal.

The political commentator thinks it is positive that there is now more space in Parliament to talk about this subject.

“It’s for cut with cowardice of all political leaders since pre-troika times. No one had the courage to reverse it, it would be an unpopular decision“, he analyzed.

On the radio, Pedro recalled that the magistrates earn more than the prime minister. Eunice Lourenço added that Antônio Costa received a higher salary when he was Minister of Justice (1999-2002) than when he was prime minister (2015-2023).

Pedro Benevides reinforces that the salaries of Portuguese politicians should be higher: “And it is good that this is said clearly, the whole country must know this: the people who decide the future of the country have to be duly compensated. Especially in a country so dependent on political power.”

The expert is aware that “It’s not an easy speech To do it, it takes courage.”

“A democracy has to function with certain assumptions. If we are going to vote for certain people to hand over the destinies of our common life into their hands, we have to compensate them properly for the responsibility and scrutiny they have,” he continued.

Pedro repeats an idea that has been spread: service to the public cause, which involves assuming positions of public power, “It’s no longer appealing”. Many Portuguese people, especially younger ones, look at the life of a politician as one of “low wages, a lot of work and a dissolute life”.

“There is no incentive so that our best are in the places where they are most needed”, he reinforces.

But Pedro Benevides believes in a change due to this advance by the Democratic Alliance: “It was necessary to put an end to this populist, demagogic and dangerous that politicians earn too much and that it was necessary to cut their salaries”.