The Minister of Economy, Manuel Castro Almeida, at the 25th edition of the Summer University of the PSD
The Minister of Economics has elected economic growth and increased income as a priority, manifesting the Portuguese that the Portuguese will continue to vote for the PSD if they “feel they have more money in their pockets.”
The minister Manuel Castro Almeida This Wednesday was invited speaker of the 21st edition of Summer University of the PSDwhich runs until Sunday in Castelo de Vide, Portalegre, in an intervention with the theme “Best Economy: More Performance”.
In his intervention, the ruler considered that “if the Portuguese understand that with this government they are having better income, they will continue to give us your vote“.
“If people feel that they have more and more availability, more money in their pockets, This is the main criterion To continue to give their vote, ”said Castro Almeida, saying that this real increase happened in 2024 and“ goes the same way ”in 2025.
The Minister of Economics and Territorial Cohesion stressed that, along with balanced public finances, the Prime Minister established as the main priority of the XXV Government in the possession “ economic growth to increase the income of the Portuguese and sustain the social state”.
“If the Portuguese want an increase in income policy, they know what party that can guarantee them”He emphasized.
Castro Almeida took the question of one of the Summer University students of the PSD – an initiative of Young Tables Training – To criticize the PS for making the initial formulation unfeasible that the government intended to give IRS to young people until the age of 35, who was going through a maximum rate of 15%.
“I would say it is your obligation that no young man does not know that the PSD government, the AD government, wanted to put a 15% ceiling at the IRS rate of young people and the PS prevented this approval. It is against our will that young people are paying more than we wanted. And I confess that I still haven’t understood the rational of the PS yet, ”he said, considering“unforgivable”The position of this party.
At the end of the session, questioned by journalists about statements by the PS secretary-general, José Luís Carneirowhich claimed to have been the socialist government to create a First version of IRS YoungCastro Almeida asked “more shame” to the socialists.
“There was one thing called IRS Youngof the initiative of the PS, but I just want to remember that This IRS was just for graduates. Therefore, it excluded all young people who were not licensed, is a little disgusting thing, I don’t even know how it still tells you about it. It is better to end this subject, ”he said.
However, Castro Almeida manifested Opening of the Government To get back to the theme if the PS is available to “create a more favorable regime for young people, to increase young people’s performance, to make young people not have to go out because they have little yield inside.”
Asked if the government considers it to discuss its initial proposal of young IRS, replied: “This is a matter that will have to put the finance minister, the opportunity and the ‘timing’ is with the Minister of Finance It’s not with me”.
Marcelo appears by surprise
The President of the Republic, MARCELO REBELO DE SOUSAappeared by surprise, in person, at the summer university of the PSD.
It was expected to take place by video conferencing, and journalists They were already seeing a chair in the Palace of Belémwhen the president entered the room under the applause of the students.
In his intervention, the president argued that the role of the PSD to combat extremisms should be “affirm the difference in moderation”, Like the PS, warning that it will always be easier to find consensus to the center.
In a panel titled “The answers of the president”The head of state was questioned what should be the role of the PSD at a time when populist forces grow and admitted that social democrats have “a difficult task” In the right right, equating this challenge to the PS in the center left.
Still, he pointed out a way: “If I can’t-I think it is able to achieve, as well as the PS-to affirm the difference from the moderation that distinguishes the most radical right center, which solves the problems of the Portuguese, So the function of the parties becomes very difficult Of this nature and this is not good news for democracy, ”he said.
“It is not that there is no space in democracy for all formations and all political positions. Now it is evident that it is easier to make regime agreements, do consensus, to find solutions to the center, if a center-right party is a center-right party and not right -wing that is radical rightL, ”he said.
In his initial intervention, in which he addressed the situation of the world, Europe and Portugal, the President of the Republic had already left a warning.
“This is not the time of the moderates With which democracies were traditionally done to the center-left, the center right. It is the time of radicals With which democracies are otherwise, but we are all discovering how they are going to do, with what institutions and in what way, ”he warned.
The President of the Republic also admitted that Your mandates in Belém They stayed “short of what I had dreamed”But stressed that the people gave them“ always reason ”in the dissolution of Parliament.
About what you think run betterthe head of state said that he trieddo the impossible ”to ensure political stabilitydespite the three dissolutions of the Assembly of the Republic he made in his second term.
“That was what went the best Even when it didn’t go wellbecause it did not necessarily translate that there were governing solutions that lasted the ten years, ”he said, remembering that lived with PS executives For over eight years and, until the end of his term, there will be another solution led by the PSD “for less than two years.”
Still, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa congratulated himself for, in the elections after the dissolutions, the people have given “always reason” to the decision of the president with his vote at the polls.
As for what went worseincluded matters such as the capacity for renewal of the political, public administration or the Distancing of people in relation to politicians, although stressing that responsibilities were shared with “other organs of sovereignty”
“Let’s say, for What I had thought and dreamed At times, in fact what it was possible to do below what I had thought and dreamed of doing, ”he said, adding that this was accentuated in a second term.
The head of state repeated that I had thought just a mandatebut considered that “I couldn’t say no” in 2021 when it was “the worst phase of the covid-19 pandemic”.
“No one would understand that the person in charge would leave. But when I stayed, I was absolutely sure that what would happen afterwards would be a cumulative factor in system wear, ”he said.
