In the last regional elections, CDS-PP elected three MPs, a result that allowed for the current government coalition, initially supported also by Chega and Iniciativa Liberal. At the time, you said that this coalition, and its parliamentary agreements, in no way harmed the values of CDS-PP. Two and a half years later, do you still stand by this conviction?
This government coalition is composed of three parties - PSD, CDS and PPM -, while those parliamentary agreements were made between PSD and IL, as well as between PSD and Chega. Therefore, parliamentary agreements were not made by CDS nor PPM.
And why does the agreement not clash with CDS values? Because the CDS maintains its freedom in parliament and has no obligation to approve any diploma by Chega that violates its values. Therefore, we remain free to vote against what we believe hurts the values of Christian democracy.
Were you surprised by IL’s decision to break the agreement with PSD?
I wasn't surprised at all. In fact, those threats had already been made.
Did you understand the reasons given at the time by IL/Azores MP Nuno Barata?
It did not seem to me that Nuno Barata had any substantive reason to break the agreement with PSD, especially at that 'timing'.
Did this tearing up of the agreement change anything regarding governance? Did you believe that the government could fall?
It does not scare me that the government could fall. I have always been a backbencher, and, in every election, people always thought that CDS would disappear. But CDS is still here and in government.
The parties that think the government is not doing its job have total freedom to reject the budget, to present a motion of censure and to bring down the government. Elections don't scare me.
Did you believe in the motion of censure?
I never believed it, because I don't think PS has the courage to do it, Bloco de Esquerda even less, and IL cannot do it, because it is a parliamentary representation. Chega has since become a parliamentary representation and PAN is also a parliamentary representation.
I think that the Socialist Party is going through a rather complicated phase at the moment and Vasco Cordeiro would not be interested in a motion of censure.
What 'complicated phase' do you think the PS/Azores is going through at the moment?
It is like the aftermath of a fire, with grumbling and opinion articles, which are not even opinion, as they are just insulting. All this when the creator of the 'geringonça' was himself a famous socialist. What was done in the Azores was to look for a government solution, which I think pleased the Azoreans. José Manuel Bolieiro efficiently led and leads this coalition government, which has been an example of democracy.
Our government took office during the pandemic, with a very specific parliamentary geometry, and then a war happens. However, we have managed to govern with peace and tranquility in the Azores, unlike what happens at national level: constant political instability that even led the President of the Republic to consider the dissolution of parliament.
Do you agree with the statement - by PPM’s leader - that the government's greatest enemies are within PSD itself?
I would like, first of all, to make a well-deserved acknowledgement to the leader of this coalition and to the leader of the government, José Manuel Bolieiro. I made this coalition because it was with José Manuel Bolieiro, whom I knew from parliament and with whom I now have a friendly relationship. I have always known him as a man of consensus. Probably with none of the previous PSD leaders would I have made it. Today, I can say that I have, in addition to a political partner, also a friend.
However, it is also clear that there were people in PSD who thought that CDS had no right to political opinion. I am Vice-President of the Government, but I am also president of the CDS and I have to have an assessment of the government's policies, which I share with the president of PSD. The final decision is always made by the President of the Government, with all the respect and loyalty that exists between us. From CDS, José Manuel Bolieiro can always count on the greatest loyalty. PSD’s internal problems will be solved by the party’s president, not by me.
Will the governing coalition be able to keep its commitment and run for the 2024 elections?
I have no doubt that the President of the Regional Government and leader of this coalition, José Manuel Bolieiro, will keep his word. I have no doubt about that. For my part, I will honor the commitment and keep my word. Paulo Estêvão (PPM) has already stated he will also honor his commitment and keep his word.
In the political corridors, there are comments about the possibility of a coalition in some islands. Has this been discussed internally?
'Narratives' in politics have always existed and I have no idea where this one comes from.... What is agreed between the coalition parties is that we will run on all the islands.
Do you accept a role other than vice-president of the government if the coalition wins the elections next year?
When I made this government agreement, I demanded absolutely nothing. CDS did not demand anything from PSD and, if I am the government’s Vice-President, it is because José Manuel Bolieiro proposed it to me and made sure that I accepted it. In the next legislature, I am available to continue where necessary and best for Azoreans.
Given the 'zero debt' policy and the difficulty in ensuring the implementation of EU funds, do you admit the need for an amending budget later this year?
If revenue does not come from the Republic and it does not pay us what it owes, then we may need to do an amending budget to incorporate revenue. Otherwise, there will be no amending budget.
You announced that the Regional Government will present a draft law to bring forward the retirement age of Azoreans, arguing that the average life expectancy in the Region is lower than in the rest of the country. How successful can this proposal be?
We are going to make a preliminary bill and the Basic Law of Social Security provides for special early retirement schemes. Our life expectancy at birth is lower than that of the mainland and our life expectancy at 65 is still lower, in this case, by two years and six months.
What does this mean? It simply means that we deduct the same up to the age of 65 as a mainland citizen, but because we will live on average less time, someone else is benefiting from that. It is a question of justice and I hope the Assembly of the Republic will be sensitive to that argument.
Allow me to be immodest, but this would be a civilizational revolution for the Azores, for the settlement of people, for the creation of jobs, and for the creation of wealth.
In 2017, you pointed the finger at the Socialist governance, recalling the problem of poverty in the Azores. Today, do we still have a poverty problem?
We still have the problem of poverty, in all frankness and transparency. I have always argued that we should face poverty or early school dropout in a frontal, direct way and without hiding the problem. That is why I think it is time for a disruptive solution.
This government has acted on poverty as no Socialist government has ever acted, preventing families from falling into poverty. I will even give you my example: my grandfather was a poor fisherman, with six children. My father did his 4th grade and managed to make it in life by being a successful trader. And he told us that the wealth he could give us was a degree. That was the inheritance he was keen to leave us.
The government, in turn, inherited a region where only 13% of Azoreans have a degree, half the national average. We inherited a region where only 70% of people have completed secondary education. This is dramatic. But people only get out of poverty through training and education.
Today, the poorest students can study and we invest one million euros in tuition fees and scholarships alone.
But the risk of poverty remains, with one in four Azoreans in this situation, with data already reported.
Regarding childhood, we are supporting nurseries and the first year of life of the baby, through the 'Nascer Mais' program, which is having an extraordinary success. Five million euros of support in early childhood alone. It may not be enough, but these are steps that will greatly alleviate poverty.
What is your assessment of the 'New Elderly' program? Will it be extended to other islands?
It is very positive and the intention is to extend it. I made the proposal in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) to extend the program to three times as many elderly people, also extending it to all the islands. If the European Union does not advocate the institutionalization of the elderly, it must also take on the cost of having them in their homes.
In housing, where are the investments of the Regional Government with PRR funds?
In housing, we have a PRR execution rate within expectations, despite the situations we inherited from allotments that were not made or land that was not legalized, both in Terceira and São Miguel. We will build around 300 new homes and rehabilitate around 600. If we had more money, we would build more.
