Seguro Uses His First Republic Day Speech to Praise the Budget Thaw With the Socialists and Tell the Parties to Leave Their Trenches

President António José Seguro used his first Republic Day speech on Monday to ask Portugal's parties for a "nova cultura política" (new political culture) built on cross-party agreements that survive changes of government. Speaking at the solemn session on the Praça do Município in Lisbon, the square where the Republic was proclaimed 116 years ago, he also welcomed the rapprochement between the Government and the Partido Socialista (PS, Socialist Party) over the 2027 State Budget.

What the President said

According to the text published by the Presidency, Seguro said public policy had to run across several legislatures. "We cannot always go back to the start just because a legislature has changed," he said. He asked politicians to leave behind a "cultura de trincheiras" (culture of the trenches) and to judge policies by their results rather than by the colour of the government that created them.

He then turned to the budget, which the Government must present to Parliament by 10 October. "I salute the Government and the Socialist Party for the path of rapprochement they have been taking with a view to approving the State Budget for next year," he said, adding that he hoped other parties would join. With no election due, he called the present a "ciclo de pousio eleitoral" (an electoral fallow period) and said it would be "a crime" to waste it.

Seguro listed the pressures he said families feel every day: the price of housing, fuel, gas, transport, food and bank loans. "The cost of living is rising at a pace that wages and pensions are not keeping up with," he said. He argued that the energy crisis behind much of it needs a coordinated European answer, as well as the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

He also listed ways the State lets citizens down: late administrative decisions, licensing "that takes endless time", slow support payments and court cases that drag on. He closed by quoting Jorge Palma, the singer who died last month: "Ai, Portugal, Portugal! De que é que tu estás à espera?" (Oh, Portugal, Portugal! What are you waiting for?). "The time is to move forward," Seguro said.

Moedas on housing

The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, called housing "our greatest challenge today", Observador reported, but warned against ideological answers: "Ideological fights never gave anyone a house." He also said the Republic "owes resources" to police officers and firefighters.

How the parties answered

Reactions gathered by Lusa and carried by Notícias ao Minuto split along the lines Seguro had described.

• PSD: Alexandre Poço, deputy leader of the Partido Social Democrata (Social Democratic Party) group, praised the speech. He cited the PS's announcement last week that it will abstain on the budget, and the agreement with Chega on the Government's rental law revision, as examples of dialogue.
• PS: The Socialist leader, José Luís Carneiro, demanded that the Government drop the Chega deal on the rental law, and said he had assurances that the PSD would carry out a constitutional revision with the Socialists. Poço answered that the PSD "will not enter that game".
• Chega: The party called the speech "more of the same", saying it urged unity between the PSD and PS and sent messages to Chega.
• IL: Angélique da Teresa, of the Iniciativa Liberal (Liberal Initiative), regretted his praise for an understanding on a budget "that is not even known".
• Left: The Partido Comunista Português (PCP, Portuguese Communist Party) and the Bloco de Esquerda (Left Bloc) criticised the praise for the Government and PS rapprochement, while Livre said it was essential to keep Chega out of any cross-party pacts.

Seguro took office in March and had used his veto once by his six-month mark. Monday's speech sets out the yardstick he has chosen for the budget season: whether the parties can agree.