The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this Friday postponed any comments on government program proposals or party initiatives until after the European elections, saying that the head of state should only make a statement after the European elections.
“I am not going to comment on what, at the moment, in party debates and in parliamentary debates, is the beginning of the legislative branch,” said the President of the Republic, refusing to comment on the measures announced as part of the discussion of the government program led by Luis Montenegro.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, “dialogue is fundamental and a strength of democracy,” and “given the composition of the Assembly of the Republic, it takes on even greater meaning.”
“The president should not comment on proposals and ideas, proposals, all this depends on the parties and, perhaps, if this is the responsibility of parliament, then also on the Assembly of the republic,” he emphasized.
Asked whether he would respond in writing to the commission of inquiry into the “case of twins” who were treated at Santa Maria Hospital with a drug costing millions of euros, the president postponed a decision after the European elections scheduled for June 9.
“We are on an election campaign,” he said, recalling that the deadline to submit candidacies for the European elections expires in a few days and confirming that he will not comment on “party initiatives” during the election campaign and the campaign. “.
“If I say that I like some initiative or agree with it, I am campaigning for the party, if I say that I do not like it or that I do not agree, I am campaigning against the party and, therefore, until June 9 I will ” I won’t speak out,” Marcelo told reporters.
The President of the Republic spoke in Santarem on April 25, on the sidelines of the classes he taught this Friday at the Escola Secundária Sá da Bandeira.
In front of about six hundred students and teachers, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke about the revolution that led to democracy, to defend that “a democratic society recognizes all opinions, even opinions against democracy, against the important values of democracy”, and emphasizing that “Fight for them those who defend values must.”
“But there must be a minimum of consensus in society,” he added, arguing that “the majority of Portuguese must agree on certain fundamental principles,” such as freedom, independence, integration with Portuguese-speaking countries, European integration and relations with communities around the world, among others .
Defender of an “open Portugal that accepts differences in religion, politics, economics, society, gender,” the president stressed that “democracy must be representative” and must be “rejuvenated.”
Because if, 50 years after April 25, “democracy is outdated” and there are things that “need to be improved,” no one wants, Marcelo concluded, “a return to dictatorship.”