Presidential candidates João Cotrim Figueiredo and António Filipe expressed this Sunday, November 30th, that they had few points of contact regarding the solutions they defend for the health situation or the reform of the labor system proposed by the PSD/CDS-PP Government.
In the television debate broadcast by SIC, the candidates challenged what they said were their opponent’s mistakes, with António Filipe (supported by the PCP) denying that he had ever advocated a referendum for Portugal’s exit from the eurothe European Union or NATO and Cotrim (supported by IL) rejecting the intention to bring “neoliberal ideas” to Belém.
The candidates began by discussing what they understood to be the role of the head of state, with the former communist deputy saying he wanted “the Portuguese to feel that they have a President who is at their side”, with Cotrim trying to adhere him to the decisions of the PS executives, and António Filipe responding that the former IL leader is much closer to the current PSD/CDS-PP executive.
When asked what type of reforms they advocate in the National Health Service (SNS) given the problems in the sectorCotrim Figueiredo defended the model contained in the basic law that his party proposedsaying that for him it is “the same whether the provider is public, private or cooperative”.
“Patients would have to be at the center of the system”, he stated, warning that when the SNS fails “it is the private sector who gain the most” and saying that these providers would be “the biggest opponents” of this change.
“What is happening in the SNS is the result of neoliberal health policies”, accused António Filipewarned that the State would have to finance the private sector in the view of his opponent, and countered that what was necessary was to reinforce investment in the SNS.
Cotrim Figueiredo contested any liberal drift in health in recent years, highlighting that the SNS budget “has always grown”
In the work area, António Filipe reiterated his total opposition to the revision of the Labor Code proposed by the Governmentaccusing him of wanting to perpetuate precariousness and attack collective bargaining.
“We agree that more jobs and better wages are needed, I think it’s great that there is more collective contracting”, agreed Cotrim, but stressed that wages only increase “by decree” in the public sector, depending on productivity in the private sector.
The IL-supported candidate criticized some aspects of the Government’s draft labor law review proposal, such as those that attack birth policies, but expressed his agreement with an increase in minimum services in the strike law, questioning his opponent whether these should not exist in daycare centers or nursing homes.
“What harms the country is this labor package, the strikes already have minimum services and in some cases they are almost maximum services”, replied António Filipe.
Defense was the last topic in the debate for the presidential elections on January 18, with more agreement than would be expected.
Asked whether Portugal should move towards voluntary military service, Cotrim said it didn’t make sensesince military operations currently focus more on the technological component than on human resources “with little experience”.
António Filipe considered that the problem is “the lack of attractiveness” of the Armed Forces.
And when asked what Portugal should do if a NATO country is invaded, both agreed that the country must respect the commitments of international organizations. to which it belongs (which, in this case, require this solidarity between all Member States of the Atlantic Alliance).
The candidate supported by the PCP stressed, however, that the country can only make a decision “depending on the concrete situation”, with Cotrim stressing that “no President of the Republic will lightly send troops”.
“There are more than 1,100 Portuguese soldiers in theaters of war all over the world. They are professionalized troops, it’s not exactly the case of picking up young people off the street to send to the war front”, he stressed.