"The talks went very well and have everything to continue going well. Chega, even when the possibility of a second proposal [for the Budget] was raised in the previous legislature, presented some measures (...) to vote in favor of it," said the leader of the Government of the Azores (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM), when questioned by journalists.

Bolieiro, who was speaking at the closing of the parliamentary sessions of the coalition of the Azorean executive, which took place in the parish of São Pedro, in Ponta Delgada, was referring to the political crisis triggered in November 2023 with the rejection of the Budget for 2024.

"Even within the framework of the political crisis caused by the irresponsibility of some, Chega immediately showed itself willing to be part of the solution," he reinforced.

In this legislature, Bolieiro highlighted that in the preparation of the preliminary draft of the Plan and Budget for this year, "common denominators were placed to allow convergence" with Chega, exemplifying with the reinforcement of the "small check", investment in Health and policies in the area of "housing strategy".

"There are differences. Chega is in the opposition and is not part of this coalition, but it has shown itself willing to be part of the solution based on proposals that are part of the Government's own program and that will also be signaled in the medium-term guidelines," he said.

And he added: "I see this attitude of the Chega parliamentary group as positive".

Regarding whether there were negotiations with the PS, the leader of the PSD in the Azores said that, after the hearings of the regional secretaries, the Regional Government was "waiting for proposals to arrive" from the other parties, but that this did not happen.

"The truth is that they were not presented. Many like to reserve proposals for the plenary debate. Chega said what it came for," he distinguished.

José Manuel Bolieiro considered that the documents that will be voted on next week in the Regional Assembly have the "mark of continuity for the honor of the word given", exemplifying with the "valorization" of careers in public administration.

Before the deputies of PSD, CDS-PP and PPM, the president of PSD/Açores appealed for the "exercise" of seeking that the Medium-Term Guidelines have the "adhesion of other" parties.

Bolieiro also criticized the PS's stance, accusing the socialists of being "the source of the problem rather than part of the solution".

"The PS is navigating by sight. One day it is against, without any knowledge or argument about the document. The next day, it will think better. Then, on the third day, it already admits to making the Budget viable. These were references to the day before yesterday, yesterday and today. I don't know what tomorrow will be," he said.

The regional leader also warned that "it will not be a change in political color" in the Government of the Republic that will make the PSD and the Government of the Azores stop demanding compliance with the State's responsibilities in the region.

"It is my intention, as the leader of this political project and as the president of the government, to affirm this position in relation to the Republic. In some cases, it may even seem like a repetition. But it is not a repetition. It is an affirmation".

The Budget proposal, which will start to be discussed in the Azorean parliament on the 21st, includes an amount of 2,045.5 million euros, similar to that presented in October 2023 (2,036.7 million).

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