CDS-PP President Nuno Melo on Monday defended that the Prime Minister, in addition to taking fiscal action in the wake of rising prices, should replace Infrastructure Ministers Pedro Nuno Santos and Agriculture Minister Maria do. Seu Antunes.
“Portugal is going through a very difficult moment and we need capable people who are fully committed to the exercise of governance, and therefore, along with fiscal measures that are relevant to the market, the Prime Minister is thinking about replacing not only the Minister of Health, but the Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Seu Antunes and Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos,” Nuno Melo said.
The centrist leader spoke to reporters at the CDS/PP Madeira political lease, which takes place this Monday in the Chão dos Louros forest park in the Madeira municipality of San Vicente.
According to Nuno Melo, Prime Minister António Costa should at this “delicate moment” begin to reorganize the executive branch, replacing those “who do not meet the requirements of the times and cope with the growing difficulties.”
The president of the CDS, the party that runs the region in coalition with the PSD, defended that the country “cannot have a minister at the head of the agriculture portfolio who stigmatizes and mistreats confederations representing thousands of farmers just because they advise against voting for socialist party.”
Nuno Melo also added that “Portugal cannot be at the head of infrastructure when absolutely strategic dossiers for the country are at stake, who decides to build two airports for their vacation, without listening to the prime minister, without bringing the case to court.” Council of Ministers, not listening to the opposition, not informing the President of the Republic, not having technical knowledge.”
The centrist also stated that at present the government consists “not of a coalition of parties, but of a coalition of two antagonistic factions of the Socialist Party.”
The executive branch, led by António Costa, is meeting this Monday at an extraordinary Council of Ministers to approve a family income support package aimed at responding to the current context of inflation and rising cost of living.
On Sunday, Nuno Melo called on the prime minister to reduce VAT on basic products “temporarily at zero rate” and to create a regulator for the agri-food sector.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
