“I want to start by saluting the Portuguese who “served at the polling table to fulfill democracy”, Luís Montenegro began by saying this evening, in reaction to the first electoral projections that give a comfortable victory to António José Seguro.
“In this word of recognition and gratitude, I would also like to mention all the mayors of both the Municipal Chambers and the Parish Councils who also made it possible for everything to run smoothly”, he also said, in reference mainly to the territories most affected by the storms of recent days, and the high level of participation in the electoral act that today put abstention at a minimum of 20 years.
“I want to say a word of congratulations to António José Seguro, elected President of the Republic”, he stated publicly, adding that he had already spoken with the new elected president, as well as with the unsuccessful candidate, André Ventura. “To Dr. António José Seguro, I assured, on behalf of the Government, all availability to work for the good of Portugal to safeguard the interest of all Portuguese, with all cooperation, with every sense of serving Portugal and the Portuguese people in a constructive and positive way, in the capacity that the Constitution attributes to each one. Cooperation and contribution will be a dominant note that will guarantee political stability in Portugal, together with economic and social stability in this period that we have now opened of three and a half years without elections”, he continued, in a clear appeal to what he hopes the coming times will be like.
After three electoral events in less than two years, Luís Montenegro’s speech essentially focused on stability, in a kind of appeal to the largest opposition parties from Porto, where he reacted to the results of these Presidential elections.
Thus, he also said that he believes that it will now be possible to continue “the Government’s program, with it bringing resolution to many problems that afflict the lives of the Portuguese, in particular in public health services, in access for all to education, this essential asset to guarantee equal opportunities…” And he took the opportunity to reaffirm “also the purpose of continuing to reform the State, in what is the need to understand the needs of people and companies more quickly, make the State more efficient and leave future generations a territory future”, which he considered our “most essential asset”.
Insisting on stability, he added that “this period of three and a half years without national elections that is now opening is time for everyone to be able to fulfill the guarantees they gave to the Portuguese people. All sovereign bodies are legitimized. The Government went to votes twice in the space of 14 months. The President of the Republic was elected today. And the Assembly of the Republic. In these three dimensions, the Portuguese people find political representation and hope to see their problems overcome”, he guaranteed.
“The Government finds partners in the Assembly of the Republic and the elected President of the Republic to deal with what belongs to everyone, with ambition and a sense of convergence and responsibility, to fulfill its program and also fulfill, in this way, democracy”.
Asked about the possibility of the next State Budget not passing in the Assembly of the Republic – which could cause a new fall of the Government – Luís Montenegro stated that “the government will try to ensure that none of the two largest opposition parties vote against the OE” and that he is aware that the minority with which he governs forces dialogue and will force consensus to be found. In the same sense, he also ruled out that these elections were any kind of rejection of his governance, remembering that it was not the Executive that was at stake in this trip to the polls.
“The government belongs to all Portuguese people, and the leadership of the government belongs to the Prime Minister and the Democratic Alliance, which won in the last elections. None of that was at stake in these presidential elections. What is up to the Government is to execute its program firmly and with the democratic humility of someone who knows they don’t have a majority”, he said.
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