The Parliament of Portugal opens this Tuesday the general debate on the proposal for the State Budget for 2027 presented by the Government, in a context strongly conditioned by social unrest and mobilizations in defense of the right to housing, after the controversy generated by the recent police charges against the citizen camps.
According to the Portuguese agency Lusa, the processing in the Chamber is developing with the approval of the accounts practically assured, whose voting is scheduled for this Wednesday. The support of the groups that support the Executive (PSD and CDS-PP) and the announced abstention of the Socialist Party (PS) guarantee the approval of the project of the conservative Government of Luís Montenegro, despite the foreseeable rejection or abstention of the formations situated to the left (PCP, BE, Livre, PAN, JPP) and of the parties to the right (Chega and IL).
The budget plan, the third prepared by Montenegro's team, foresees a growth of the Portuguese GDP of 2.3% for this year and 2.1% for 2027, with balanced accounts in the current fiscal year and a surplus of 0.1% for the next year. The final global voting is scheduled for November 24.
Political and social tension due to police charges
The debate begins with an intervention by the Prime Minister — whose absence from the public scene in recent weeks has been harshly questioned by the opposition — in an atmosphere of strong tension both institutionally and in the streets. Montenegro's Executive appears in the Assembly pressured by the demands for housing solutions and by the condemnation of broad sectors after the police action that dismantled the citizen camps in Lisbon (Rossio Square) and Porto in the early hours of Sunday, with at least thirty injured.
The action against the movement, in which dogs and riot units were used, has motivated the opening of an investigation by the General Inspection of Internal Administration (IGAI) and the Portuguese Prosecutor's Office, with the aim of clarifying whether there was excessive use of force.
In this scenario, the popular assembly of the "Lisbon Camp" has chosen to reinforce its actions coinciding with the discussion of the accounts. According to information from Lusa, the platform "House to Live" has called for a large concentration in front of the Assembly of the Republic on the afternoon of this Tuesday, in which participants plan to set up tents in front of Parliament as a form of pressure to stop the Government's policies, not ruling out staying there during the night before the vote on Wednesday.