The tolls on Via do Infante were once again discussed in the Assembly of the Republic, with the different proposals presented not being passed. Leads that motivated the exchange of accusations between the different parties with seats in the Assembly of the Republic, with the PS, the only force that voted against all the proposals, being the most targeted.
The parties on the far left of the political spectrum, PCP, Left Bloc and Greens presented proposals with a view to the immediate end of the tolls on the A22, which ended up being defeated by the PS, PSD and CDS-PP, even though the socialist deputies elected by the Algarve had voted in favour. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, presented a Draft Resolution that called for "the suspension of toll collection on the A22 until the completion of the EN125 requalification works, and to the extent that these works close sections or produce severe constraints on circulation", it fell with the votes against by the PS, PCP, BE and Greens. The same parties rejected the proposal presented by the CDS-PP, which provided for a reduction in the price of tolls by 15 cents, along the entire length of Via do Infante.
The PCP accuses the parties that rejected its proposal of opting “to crush users and the regional economy with tolls so as not to have to pinch the interests of economic groups that exploit the concession of Via do Infante”. And he showed that he is counting, since this was “the tenth time” that his proposal in the same direction was rejected, by the same parties.
«The deputies of the PS elected by the Algarve voted in favor of the PCP's proposal, knowing in advance that the other deputies of the Parliamentary Group of the PS would reject it. This stance does not erase the PS's responsibilities, including the deputies of this party elected by the Algarve, for the introduction and maintenance of tolls on Via do Infante. It is foreseeable that, when proposals for the abolition of tolls in other regions of the country are discussed and voted on, the PS deputies elected by those regions will vote in favour, and the PS deputies elected by the Algarve vote against, ensuring, with this regrettable expedient, that the proposals for the abolition of tolls are always rejected, but that the deputies of each region can, in those regions, present themselves as defenders of the abolition of tolls», accused the communists.
The PSD, on the other hand, focuses its criticism on PS, BE, PCP and PEV. “The parties that support the Government do not agree on this matter. They proclaim one thing and do another. They set up successive scenarios to say that they want a lot more, but they always do a lot less. And, therefore, not the least that all the Algarveans are in agreement, claimed by mayors and the general population, the suspension during the works are able to approve. They don't make decisions according to what they promised and still block those of others," he accused.
The PS, on the other hand, says that the right-wing parties presented “demagogic proposals on the Via do Infante, since it was the right-wing Executive who introduced the tolls on the road and stopped the works on the EN125”, reads a press note sent to newsrooms by socialist deputies elected by the constituency of the Algarve..
“For this reason, the PS parliamentarians elected by the Algarve voted today against the demagogic and memoryless proposals that these parties are now promoting. However, they voted in favor of the proposals of other parties for the extinction of tolls, as they had already done in previous votes, continuing their responsible posture», they conclude. What is certain is that, even so, it ended up being the votes of the other PS deputies that made the proposals of the leftist parties unfeasible.
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