The Prime Minister defended this Wednesday that the Portuguese prefer stability to instability in the latest elections and that institutions must be respected, with conditions for each to function and do its job.
This position was taken by António Costa at the end of his two-day visit to South Korea, and he applied it both to the issue of the possibility of holding early elections and to the evolution of the work of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the management of TAP.
Facing the currents of opinion that understand that the country is currently facing a climate of government instability, the executive leader replied: “I will not comment on the commentators”.
“On stability there is only one source I can really cite: the Portuguese. When asked if they wanted stability or instability, they said in a clear and unequivocal way that they wanted stability. That’s what we need to focus on.”to maintain.
When asked if the Portuguese deserve more explanation about TAP compared to what was found in the parliamentary inquiry committee, António Costa replied: “Above all, they deserve respect for the institutions”.
“And there is a fundamental institution, the Assembly of the Republic. The Assembly of the Republic has decided to create a parliamentary commission of inquiry and we must respect that this commission of inquiry does its job and draws its conclusions”he claimed.
António Costa then drew an analogy between the evolution of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry and a judicial process, noting that the Public Prosecutor’s Office “does the investigation, makes the accusation, the court judges and it is the duty of the citizens to act calmly and serenely.” waiting for a trial”.
On a political level, “when a decree-law is approved, this decree is then sent to the president of the republic for promulgation. And the president of the republic decides whether to promulgate it, veto it or question its constitutionality. And what should we do? Wait for the decision of the President of the Republic. This respects the institutions”strengthens.
According to Antonio Costa, “the Assembly of the Republic does its job, the President of the Republic does its job, the courts do their job, and the government does its job – and that’s how it should work”.
Still on this issue, the Prime Minister noted that the government has the mandate to implement its program “and when a problem arises, you have to face it, look for solutions, whatever those problems may be”.
He then gave examples of problems that had occurred in the country and that he believed had been overcome by their governments in recent years: the crisis in the financial system, the deficit procedure, risks of no economic growth, the covid-19 pandemic and situation of high inflation in food and energy.
“In a situation as uncertain as the one around us, a war and an inflationary crisis, it is important that there is sufficient confidence from the economic actors to move forward. This has been one of Portugal’s great strengths and this strength must be preserved”he added.
Source: DN
