The debate scheduled for today in parliament by the PS on the end of tolls on the former SCUT -- whose bill should be made viable thanks to the vote in favor announced by Chega - is being marked by exchanges of accusations between the benches, in a tense atmosphere and with many asides.

At the opening of the debate, PS deputy Jorge Botelho assured that the socialists have fulfilled the proposals they placed in their electoral programs in recent governments and have gradually reduced these tolls, proposing "now to reduce the 35% that are missing for its total elimination" as stated in the electoral program of the last elections already under the leadership of Pedro Nuno Santos.

"The advantages of eliminating tolls are very evident and are a factor of social and territorial cohesion. The costs are estimated at 157 million euros and were accounted for in the macroeconomic scenario that served as the basis for the PS's last electoral program in the last elections", he defended.

The socialist said he was waiting to see how the other parties "will vote on this initiative and verify how consistent they are about what they have said in recent times".

When Jorge Botelho used the expression consistent on the part of the benches on the right, there were many protests.

For the PSD, three deputies made requests for clarification to the PS deputy at this stage of the debate, with Emília Cerqueira responding on the question of coherence that for "those who have no shame, the whole world is theirs" and accusing the PS of irresponsibility for not having fulfilled what it promised when it was in government and "in the opposition anything goes".

Carlos Silva, from the PSD, did not spare the words and considered it to be an "act of hypocrisy and pure demagogy", in addition to "political immaturity and incoherence", accusing the socialists of "argumentative somersaults" and asking Pedro Nuno Santos why, as Minister of Infrastructure, he did not abolish these tolls.

For the IL, Carlos Guimarães Pinto responded to this question of coherence with the PS's history in votes on the abolition of tolls, reading the names of the various initiatives over the years and ending, at the end in chorus with several deputies from the right, with a "against, against, against".

For the CDS-PP, Paulo Núncio considered that the "PS's proposal to eliminate tolls should be inscribed in the book of the greatest hypocrisies and falsehoods of this parliament", accusing the socialists of, while in government, not only not having abolished tolls but also always having voted against them.

Pedro Pinto, from Chega, accused the IL of being the same as the PS "in demagogy and hypocrisy" and pointed out "the lack of shame of this PS" that when it was in government said that this elimination was impossible and now, in the opposition, already says it is possible.

"The Portuguese do not deserve to pay tolls. (...) This bill, yes, is welcome, we support it because we do not have any negative coalition. The only coalition we have is with the Portuguese", he said.

Read Also: PSD accuses Chega of wanting to govern with the PS through parliament (Portuguese version)