The president of the republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, believed that if the economic situation “shows signals that are not as positive as expected”, the government may have to consider “additional social support” in the coming months.
“I think if this evolution abroad is one that happens to succeed against forecasts, which were optimistic, and if these signs persist, which are not as positive as expected, it may force the government to carry out a reassessment … of additional social support, if necessary within a month, two months, three months,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, noting that “the government will consider this”.
The President of the Republic stated that “the war lasts and will last, inflation is falling less quickly than he would have liked” and “the news coming from Germany, for example, is not very good”.
Regarding the news that food prices are rising more in Portugal than in the Eurozone, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “the problem is that they are rising again in other countries, or at least there is no evolution”.
“In Germany, the latest figures released this week, both in terms of growth and inflation, do not match the optimistic expectations that were there. That has a cost,” he complained.
Arriving at the ceremony of the 140th anniversary of the Association of Instruction and Beneficence “A Voz do Operário”, in Lisbon, the head of state was questioned by journalists about the demonstrations that have taken place in recent weeks, including the two that took place today in Lisbon – one promoted by the Vida Justa citizens’ movement, in defense of “salaries for living”, the limitation of the price of essential goods and “home for people”, and another organized by the Union of All Education Professionals (Stop) to defense of the public school and for better working conditions and wages.
“It is the dissatisfaction that is typical of someone who is faced with a situation that involves costs,” he stressed, pointing out that “in general, for society, the biggest cost is inflation, it is the increase in costs of livelihood, the rise in prices, and at the same time obviously not accompanied by income and wages”.
The president of the republic believed that the concentrations are normal in a democracy, they are “legitimate manifestations”, and “certainly there will be more”, but he refused that stability was at stake.
And he indicated that he was going to see the departure of the two demonstrations “of thousands of people, in one case almost 10 thousand, in the other case almost four thousand, five thousand”.
“It was a habit I had before I became president and I kept it when I became president,” he admitted, referring to the fact that he didn’t join the protesters, but some passed him by.
Regarding teachers, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that “the Portuguese want the negotiations to succeed”.
“And I keep believing that they will succeed. I think it’s possible, it’s a matter of common sense. It’s so clear that teachers want it, non-teachers want it, parents want it, students want it, the Portuguese society wants it “The Portuguese want it, so whatever the formula, more like this or more like that, it is clear that an agreement has to be reached,” he stressed.
The president of the republic reiterated his hopes that the government and unions “reach an agreement before Easter so that the costs for the school year do not become too high”.
Source: DN
