With two and a half months to go before the presentation of the new State Budget proposal, a study has shown that the Portuguese would like to see the document approved to avoid new elections.

At the moment, the voting intentions of Chega and PS, the two main opposition parties, are still unknown. Currently, the Portuguese are opting for political stability, with more than half of those interviewed mentioning that the opposition should approve the document presented by the Democratic Alliance (AD) government.

As per a study by Intercampus released by Negócios, in partnership with Correio da Manhã, CMTV, and NOW. The data was evaluated by the Intercampus thermometer, released by Negócios, in partnership with Correio da Manhã, CMTV, and NOW. In the survey, 50.8% of respondents believe that opposition parties should support the Union Budget for 2027. However, a minority of 22% still believe that the document should be rejected. The remaining respondents either did not know or preferred not to answer this question.

When asked which of the two main opposition parties would support the State Budget, although the answers were quite similar, there is a greater inclination towards approval from Chega.

Uncertainty remains

Plans are still very undefined on the political front, and in recent weeks, José Luís Carneiro, Secretary-General of the PS, stated that he has not yet made a decision regarding the State Budget for 2027. He also admitted that voting against it remains a possibility, although he did not cite the defence of the Constitution, the maintenance of pensions, and the reinforcement of investment in health as reasons.

Currently, the political landscape in Portugal has been changing, with Chega increasingly distancing itself from the Government's proposals, as seen in its vote against the Labour Law proposed by the Government.

Avoiding elections

The study also shows that the Portuguese opt for governmental stability if the Budget is rejected. In total, 65.1% of those interviewed argued that the government should propose a new document if Parliament rejects the initial proposal. On the other hand, 20.4% of those interviewed mentioned that the rejection of the 2027 State Budget should result in early legislative elections.