The president of the Liberal Initiative, Mariana Leitão, considered this Saturday, November 29th, that the State Budget presented by the Government “it would probably never have even been presented in these conditions” if your party was in power.
SIC Notícias accused the executive of not having accepted “proposals that could perfectly have been approved” and of presenting a document “completely distant from the Liberal Initiative, both in the beginning and in the final result”.
Leitão stressed that the budget “did not contain the ambition” necessary for the country and “does not change anything in terms of State reform”, adding that “it does not solve any problems” in housing, health and other social areas.
The central theme of the interview, however, was the general strike scheduled for December 11. Leitão explained that IL scheduled a potential debate on that same day because “we cannot allow that, due to the exercise of this right, all other people’s rights are jeopardized”.
For the liberal leader, “schools close, people are unable to work” and there are children dependent on school social action who are left without meals and essential support when the establishments close.
Asked whether she defends additional limits to the right to strike, Mariana Leitão stated that it is necessary to guarantee “duly calculated, duly defined minimum services”, in order to ensure that constitutional rights are not “completely annulled”. He criticized the Government for limiting this expansion to daycare centers, arguing that it should cover “other areas of education, other schooling”.
The liberal leader also pointed to health as a sector where minimum services should be reviewed, especially due to the weight of overtime in services such as INEM. “The minimum services that are foreseen today apply to normal operations. When we talk about services that depend, to a large extent, on overtime, this is not taken into account”he stated, highlighting the importance of ensuring continuity in essential services.
The interview also discussed João Cotrim de Figueiredo’s presidential candidacy. Leitão said he found out about the decision “when he announced that he was available”, rejecting any need for prior consultation. Regarding polls that place the candidate in the 5%, he responded that these numbers cause him “some strangeness”, but made it clear that he wants to see him in the second round: “I want him to have as much coverage as possible. I have a deep conviction that he will go to the second round and, even in the second round, he even has a good chance of winning.”
Mariana Leitão also rejected the idea of Cotrim de Figueiredo’s lack of popularity, stating that the candidate “it’s a phenomenon on social media” and that, on the streets, “it has a spectacular following”. And he doesn’t believe this is limited to digital: “It has a popularity that goes far beyond social media.”
The liberal leader concluded by criticizing the “useful vote”, which she classified as “something profoundly harmful to democracy”, calling on the Portuguese to choose “the political projects they believe in”rather than decisions dictated by electoral tactics.