Hugo Soares says that Passos does “neither good nor harm” to the PSD and is optimistic about the economy

The PSD secretary general assured this Thursday, February 26, that Passos Coelho’s statements do “neither good nor harm” to the party and, regarding the former prime minister’s warnings regarding the economy, he said that the objective is to surpass all predictions.

Speaking to journalists at the entrance to the `Better Tourism Lisbon Travel Market´ (BTL), in Lisbon, Hugo Soares was asked about the recent public appearances of the former prime minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, but he began by refusing to answer directly, stating that any “side comment” he made would divert the focus of his visit.

Faced with the insistence of journalists, Hugo Soares said he only wanted to talk “about the importance of tourism and the national economy”, emphasizing that the country “is paying less taxes”, that “transformations in health and education” are being made and that the Portuguese have seen an increase in their income.

Asked about Passos Coelho’s economic reading – who pointed out a “miserable forecast” from 2027 -, the social democrat assured that the objective is to surpass all forecasts.

“The only answer I will give on this is the following: we are really committed to exceeding all predictions”, he emphasized, later refusing that this is an uncomfortable topic and noting that he has already given two interviews talking about the subject, so he would not develop it again.

Asked whether the former prime minister’s interventions are good for the PSD bench, which he leads, Hugo Soares replied: “Neither good nor bad”.

In these two interviews – one with SIC Notícias and the other with Público and Renascença -, Hugo Soares rejected the readings made by Passos Coelho about the appointment of the former director of the PJ, Luís Neves, as Minister of Internal Administration, and dismissed a crisis scenario in the face of a possible failure of the labor package in parliament.

“Most of the time, he is an extraordinary political analyst and an extraordinary politician. This time, he was deeply mistaken. It is clearly a side shot”, he said in the joint interview with Público and Reascença about Passos’ intervention on the appointment of Luís Neves, considering there was “no problem with this appointment.