Passos Coelho: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s presidency is similar to the previous by Cavaco Silva
The current PSD leader considers President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s mandate to be following the lines of Cavaco Silva’s first mandate: he is backing Costa like Cavaco did for José Sócrates.
Pedro Passos Coelho has argued this Monday, on ECO Talks, that the presidency of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is not being so different from the mandate of the former President Cavaco Silva. The leader of the opposition considers the President’s role is to give the Executive the right conditions to govern. From that perspective, Marcelo’s presidency is doing to António Costa exactly what Cavaco Silva did with the absolute majority mandate by José Sócrates.
The style is different, but it “essentially does the same”. This is the assessment made by Passos Coelho to the beginning of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s mandate. The current President of the Portuguese Republic and Cavaco Silva “Are not so different”, Passos Coelho argued, explaining the support the government gives is essentially the same.
Passos Coelho compliments this attitude towards the current government. However, the leader of the opposition wonders: “Has he been taking his part further than he should? I voted for him and, as far as I am concerned, he is doing the part he said he would”, he answers.
Passos Coelho was confronted by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s statements that the President of the Republic wants to assure the political and social stability, avoiding political crisis. More than that, Marcelo had requested “clarity from the alternative government”, promoting regime agreements. The PSD leader answers: “I’m glad he [Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa] is not PSD’s President”.
“I can’t afford to have preferences or throw tantrums”
As an answer to this statement, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic, stated the former prime minister is “absolutely right”, since the PSD is headed by the person “the social democrats chose”; besides, the President cannot simultaneously be President of the Republic and the leader of a political party. Nonetheless, he considers the “PSD is in good hands with its leader” .
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed how he must treat every Portuguese citizen “equally”, adding he cannot “have preferences or throw tantrums”. “I modestly believe the country chose to allow me to serve it, and so I serve every Portuguese, whether they are social-democrats or not”; the President recalls the Portuguese Constitution predicts the President must “collaborate with any government, creating every means for it to achieve the nation’s goals”.
