António Costa was speaking at Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, after being sworn in by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as Prime Minister of the XXIII Constitutional Government.

“The absolute majority corresponds to an absolute responsibility for those who govern, with the absence of alibis and excuses. The Portuguese resolved the political crisis in the elections and guaranteed stability until October 2026, as the President of the Republic very well recalled. Stability is not synonymous with immobility, it is a requirement of ambition and opportunity to achieve”, declared the leader of the executive.

In his speech, the prime minister defended that his Government has an “obligation to take advantage of stability to anticipate uncertainty, courageously facing structural challenges”.

“We have a duty to innovate, to modernise, to guarantee decent employment and create wealth, to progress together, with inclusion. This implies working together, with democratic humility, with institutional loyalty, guaranteeing the involvement of political parties and social partners in the creation of solutions that help to face the challenges that the country faces. Only by committing ourselves to social dialogue, mobilising civil society and welcoming the positive contributions of other political parties can we continue to advance”.

António Costa also promised that his executive would know how to be “a majority of dialogue – of parliamentary, political and social dialogue”.

“The elections changed the composition of the Assembly of the Republic, but did not change the Constitution. The competences of sovereign bodies, or the principle of separation and interdependence of powers or regional and local autonomy, have not undergone any change,” he argued.

In this context, António Costa even observed that the President of the Republic “is the same and so is the Prime Minister”.

“Thus, the Portuguese can count on constitutional normality and the continuity of healthy cooperation and institutional solidarity, which they have appreciated so much and which are an invaluable contribution to the strengthening of democratic institutions and the prestige of Portugal abroad”, he added.