The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said this Thursday that he was surprised by the events of November 7, when Prime Minister António Costa resigned due to a judicial investigation.
The head of state spoke to reporters at a hotel in Bissau, where he was staying with Prime Minister António Costa to attend the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of Guinea-Bissau’s independence.
“If you asked me how many days ago, I don’t even know, the 6th [de novembro] “It’s so fast and so intense – I imagined that I would be where I am today, I would say no,” said the President of the Republic.
“Indeed, the circumstances occurred and occurred with the intensity that they could observe live. It is clear that my idea was that the situation that occurred on the 6th could be experienced more continuously over time,” he added.
The prime minister resigned amid a judicial investigation into the Sines data center installation and the lithium and hydrogen business, which led the Justice Department to raid several government offices and open an independent inquiry in the Supreme Court. what is it aimed at?
Asked if he had any indication that this could happen, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reiterated that he did not expect these events: “When I said I was surprised, it means naturally that I was surprised. So a person who is surprised means he doesn’t wait for it to happen.”
When asked about the meeting he held on November 7 with the Prosecutor General of the Republic, Lucília Gago, in the Belem Palace, who raised this issue and what was the purpose of this hearing, the head of state replied: “First, you, the minister, already clarified that he asked me to ask the Prosecutor General of the Republic about a meeting. I can’t say anything more.”
Regarding his relationship with the Prime Minister, according to the President of the Republic, “there is nothing special for Guinea-Bissau” and “the relationship remains exactly as it has been, personally and institutionally, since then.”
When asked if he would miss life with António Costa, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that there are still a few months before the Prime Minister leaves office and that until then they will meet “week after week”, so “There won’t even be a place where you can talk about the loss.”
Facing criticism from Guinean circles over his closeness to the President of Guinea-Bissau, Humaro Sissoko Embalo, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that he does not interfere “in the internal politics of other states, mostly brothers,” of the Community. Countries of the Portuguese Language (CPLP), with which Portugal has “fraternal relations”.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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