“Secretary of State [da Agricultura]? This is an outdated question”: Marcelo reacts to controversy with Carla Alves

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this Friday considered that the case of the Secretary of State for Agriculture was “outdated”.

The President of the Republic promised to respond in writing to the Prime Minister on a proposal for a mechanism to screen potential rulers, which he refused to disclose and on which he said he had already taken steps.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who spoke to journalists at the Champalimo Foundation in Lisbon, confirmed on this occasion that “he who forms the government is the prime minister” and that consideration of questions of legality and political issues must be done before proposing to the President of the Republic the appointment of state employees.

On the other hand, the President of the Republic mentioned that “there are things that are impossible” in a possible verification process: “It is impossible – because the judiciary is independent – to know exactly what judicial life is about, because the Public Prosecutor’s Office is autonomous. There is no way to know which investigations are under judicial secrecy.”

The head of state confirmed that on Thursday evening he received a letter from Prime Minister António Costa with “a proposal for a mechanism designed to somehow respond to the growing attention from the Portuguese and citizens in general.” “… in democracies, by making this choice of government members feasible.”

“Today I took steps that I considered consistent with what was contained in the letter,” he said. “I will answer the prime minister – since he used the written form – also in writing, giving my position on this issue,” he promised.

When asked about the type of mechanism proposed by António Costa, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied: “As it is natural, the Prime Minister did not disclose, the Minister of the Presidency did not disclose, I am not the one who will disclose the letter from the Prime Minister.”

“It would be impolite for me to reveal to the prime minister the conclusions I reached on television,” he added of a proposal made by António Costa on Thursday in parliament after a series of resignations of government officials since December.

The President of the Republic assured that he did not support “government intervention” and that “government is necessary for governance”. Don’t count on me to dissolve parliament,” the President of the Republic said.

Marcelo also ensured that “the Portuguese know that I have complete institutional stability”.