Lisbon, Nov. 27, 2025 (Lusa) - The proposed State Budget for 2026 was approved in a final vote on Thursday with votes in favour of the two parties that support the Government, PSD and CDS-PP, and with the abstention of the PS.
The remaining parties (Chega, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN and JPP) voted against.
This was the second State Budget presented by a government led by Luís Montenegro, and when the vote was announced in the chamber, PSD and CDS MPs gave a standing ovation. PS MP Isabel Moreira announced that she would submit a written explanation of her vote.
During the period of debate and voting on the 2025 State Budget, which began on 20 November, measures such as the freezing of tuition fees, the reinforcement of the Constitutional Court's budget, toll exemptions on motorways such as the A25 or parts of the A6 and A2, and an increase in the special pension supplement for former combatants - all proposals presented by the PS or Chega against the will of the government, were approved.
In total, during the detailed voting, 163 amendment proposals were approved, with the PS being the opposition party that saw the most proposals approved.
The government forecasts a positive budget balance of 0.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) next year. Still, during today's debate, the Deputy Secretary of State and Budget, José Brandão de Brito, said that the approved amendment proposals threaten to ‘obliterate the budget surplus’ projected for 2026.
Counting on greater economic dynamism, the government projects that the economy will grow by 2.3% in 2026 compared to 2025, after a projected 2% change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year.
The government's budget proposal was submitted to the parliament on 9 October, one day before the deadline and during the local election campaign. It was debated and approved in general terms on 27 and 28 October. The only parties that changed their vote between the general debate and the final overall vote were the PAN and the JPP: both had abstained in the general debate but voted against in the final overall vote.
TA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
