This Thursday, the President of the Republic defended the choice of democracy, however imperfect, against dictatorship, arguing that the strongest societies are democracies and remembering that until the 25th there was no half-cycle of popular choice.
“Let us show humility and intelligence to always prefer democracy, however imperfect, to dictatorship,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said at the 50th anniversary commemorative meeting on April 25 in the Assembly of the Republic.
The head of state considered that many of the achievements achieved over these five decades “need the impetus of new generations, ideas and people” before April 25 “remains or becomes nostalgic, nostalgic, more of the past than the future.”
“What to do, how to do it? Take what is strongest, most lasting, most life-saving, most promising in April, and with it recreate Portugal. This unique, exceptional value that has never died, has never been erased, has never weakened: it is called freedom, democracy and the will of the people. So let’s recognize this lifeblood of democracy,” he urged.
Marcelo Rebelo de Souza argued that “democracies, even incomplete ones, are the strongest and most creative societies in the world because they are the best humanly, because they are the most developed ecologically, because they are the freest, the most pluralistic, the most open.” ” , less repressive, less persecutory, less intolerant, less averse to difference.”
Democratic countries are “more open to everyone, even to everyone, including those who challenge that democracy in whole or in part,” he added.
“No one wants to trade a less-than-perfect democracy for a dictatorship, even if it is tempting or hidden behind illiberal boxes. We in Portugal don’t want this. We want greater economic, social and cultural quality to give strength to better political quality. “, he strengthened.
The head of state began his speech by recalling his time as a founding MP “in his twenties”, from 1975 to 1976.
“It seems like it was yesterday or the day before yesterday, but it’s not, it was half a century ago. Today I saw myself 48 years ago, sitting in this semicircle, in the Constituent Assembly,” he said. .
“I don’t find any more time in this room. This is the law of life,” he noted.
At the end of his speech, he returned to “older memories”, to the period of dictatorship when he was in the then National Assembly, “in the late 60s, sitting in the third row of the gallery – – ironically behind the future bench of 76 people – accompanied by fellow students looking at the speakers.”
The deputies were “all of them elected one by one by one man, and only this man, the life or perpetual leader of the unsupposed unified party, came here by the will of the leader, and not by the will of the people,” he said.
“The half-cycle is so different, so opposite to what it was in ’76, in the last 50 years, in our days. It would have been impossible to find a half-cycle that people would like in 35, 45, 55, 65, or April 24, 1974.” , he emphasized.
“Definitely, the path we want is not the path of dictatorship, but the path of an ever better, much better democracy for the future of Portugal,” concluded Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, exclaiming: “Long live April 25, long live freedom.” “Long live democracy, long live Portugal.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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