Portugal PM says he wants to avoid crisis over budget, but options limited

Faced with a likely rejection of the 2022 budget by parliament, Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Tuesday his government would continue to seek a deal to pass the bill that will be voted on Wednesday, but "not at any price".

"Let us respect the Portuguese who do not want a crisis, Costa told lawmakers, adding that if the budget clears the first hurdle on Wednesday there will be more time to come to terms with some parties on the details before the final vote.

"We will do everything to have a deal, but not at any price," he said. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa warned on Monday that without a budget, which relies heavily on EU pandemic recovery funds, he will have no alternative but to dissolve parliament and call snap elections two years ahead of schedule.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)