The country is experiencing a decisive moment. The signs are accumulating: pressure on families, public services in rupture and a growing feeling of institutional blockage that has long been installed in Portugal. This is not just a matter of cyclical difficulties, but a structural problem that has spanned decades and which today has become impossible to ignore.
In recent months, the Portuguese have clearly felt the weight of political decisions. The increase in the cost of living, especially food and fuel, is suffocating families and businesses. Portugal is among the European countries where energy prices have risen the most, while the State continues to collect significant revenue from indirect taxes, even in the context of an international crisis.
At the same time, we are witnessing a worrying scenario in Health. Closed emergency services, a lack of professionals and citizens forced to travel dozens of kilometers to access basic care are now a reality in several regions of the country. What should have been an absolute priority turned into a clear example of State failure.
But perhaps the deeper problem is something else: the perception that the State apparatus remains closed in on itself. As has been reported, there is a prolonged occupation of key structures, regulators, courts, higher councils, by the same circuit of power that has been perpetuated for decades. This continuity is not only political, it is also institutional and conditions the capacity for reform.
The result is a country where change has become difficult. Where structural decisions are often postponed and where responses come late and insufficiently. The recent discussion around concrete measures, such as Zero VAT on the food basket, the suspension of the carbon tax or energy support for essential sectors, reveals precisely this inability to act quickly and effectively.
At the same time, episodes such as millionaire pensions in the public sector contrast with the reality of thousands of Portuguese people who live on minimum pensions, reinforcing a feeling of injustice that cannot be ignored. When effort is not divided evenly, trust in institutions weakens.
However, this moment also brings an opportunity. For the first time in many years, there is a sociological and political majority demanding change. A change that is not limited to alternations of power, but that goes deep into the institutions and functioning of the State.
Portugal needs transparency, renewal and political courage. It needs to break with established practices and give citizens back their confidence in a State that works for everyone, and not just for a few.
The question is simple but decisive: will we continue to accept this model or are we finally prepared to transform it? The country’s future depends on the answer.
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