Former Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has criticized a proposal by the Chega party to lower the retirement age, labeling the move as populist and detached from reality.
Speaking to students at Nova SBE in Lisbon during a session titled “Portugal and the Future,” the former PSD leader questioned the “non-socialist” credentials of André Ventura’s party, noting that even the Socialist Party would not dare to suggest lowering the retirement age given current demographic challenges.
Passos Coelho also took the opportunity to evaluate the current PSD/CDS-PP government. While he praised the attempt to reform labor laws, he remarked that the Minister of Labor appeared “isolated” during negotiations.
He expressed concern that the government is taking “too much time” to deliver visible results, though he reiterated his long-standing belief that the PSD should seek stable majorities by negotiating with both the Liberal Initiative (IL) and Chega.
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Regarding his own political future, the former Prime Minister maintained his characteristic ambiguity. While he stated that he is not “looking for anything” and finds a return to active politics “unlikely,” he pointedly refused to close any doors.
“I won’t say ‘never,’ not even if Christ descends to earth,” he joked, referencing President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s famous phrase.
However, he cautioned that having to “reach into the trunk” to bring back a former leader would be a sign that the country’s newer political options had failed.
During the two-hour Q&A, Passos Coelho also addressed broader national issues, including the sustainability of Social Security and the “iniquity” of the current Youth IRS model.
The former prime-minister offered a cynical view of the political class, warning students that many in power are more focused on “managing the day-to-day” and “finding jobs for friends” than tackling structural reforms. He concluded by advising the younger generation to take charge of their own future if they wish to see real change in Portugal.
