Portugal: PM Costa warns change of policies requires toppling government

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Portugal: PM Costa warns change of policies requires toppling government

3:17 CAT | 31 Aug 2022

File photo: Lusa

Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, warned on Tuesday that “those who want policy change have to bring down the government”, considering that the replacement of a member of the government, such as the health minister, would be a change of “personality, energy or style”.

“I thought it was funny until I saw the government’s main critics saying that what matters is policy change. Who wants policy change has to bring down the government,” António Costa replied to journalists after a statement regarding Marta Temido’s resignation as health minister.

According to the prime minister, “this government has the policies that are in the government programme, and this government programme is the one that was legitimised by the vote of the Portuguese people”.

“The change of government members is a change of personality. It is a change of energy, it is a change of style. They are changes, but they are not policy changes. The policies are the government’s”, he explained.

The same goes for the laws issued by the government, according to António Costa, which “are not of minister A or minister B” but of the government.

“This decree-law [that regulates the new executive board of the SNS] will be approved by this government. Now it is natural. It is desirable that whoever prepared it, whoever worked on it, whoever has negotiated it with the other government members, whoever presents it, defends it in the cabinet,” he said.

Asked if Marta Temido would present this law, the prime minister said “yes”.

“It was scheduled for the 15th. Given the new circumstances, we will see if it can be in an earlier cabinet meeting. Otherwise, it will be 15 September,” he pledged.’

The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said today, in a note published on the official website, that he was awaiting the request for the resignation of the minister of health, Marta Temido, and the proposed appointment of her replacement.

“The prime minister informed the president earlier on Tuesday of the intention of Health Minister Marta Temido to step down, a position he accepted,” reads a text posted on the Presidency website with the title “Note on the intention of the minister of health to step down.”

The text then stated that the “president awaits the formalisation of the request for resignation, as well as the proposal for appointment of a new holder” under the Constitution.

Marta Temido presented the resignation today because she believes she “no longer has conditions” to exercise the position, which the prime minister accepted.

Source: Lusa