Lisbon, Sept. 16, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese opposition Socialist Party (PS) has scheduled an urgent parliamentary debate for Friday on the cost of living, arguing that the Government «must act» to address what the Socialists consider to be the «central issue» in the lives of the Portuguese people.

«The central issue in the lives of the Portuguese people today is the cost of living. It is the price of fuel, the cost of the basic food basket and the repayments that the Portuguese have to make to the bank, and parliament must focus on what is urgent,» said the PS's parliamentary leader, Eurico Brilhante Dias, in comments to the Lusa news agency.

Another of the PS's objectives in setting this agenda for Friday's plenary session of parliament, according to the Socialist leader, was «to hold a debate in which the Government participates».

«In none of the other debates that are scheduled – whether they are initiatives from the PS itself or from other parties – does the Government have to come to parliament; and at this moment, the only body that can resolve the problem within the budgetary framework is the Government, because it is the only one that can take the initiative, whether on the expenditure side or the revenue side,» he explained.

Dias argued that the PS «has been prioritising the issue of the cost of living».

«And that is what we are doing: telling the Government that it must act, something the Government has clearly failed to do,» he criticised.

The Socialist also noted that the party will once again press for measures to curb the rise in the cost of living through a draft resolution to be debated on 25 September, which contains proposals that the PS has already put before parliament twice and which were rejected.

«The PS has tabled a draft resolution, number 1221, which will be discussed on 25 September; in its basic structure, it is identical to the one we presented in April, which was subsequently debated in April and July,» he said.

Dias said he hoped to «build a majority in parliament that will tell the Government it must act on these fundamental issues».

«The cost of living for the Portuguese is at its highest level in the last three years, so parliament cannot remain indifferent. So far, we have not had the opportunity to secure a majority because the far right and the right have joined forces to block the PS initiatives,» he criticised.

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