The PSD president, Luís Montenegro, accused the prime minister, António Costa, of wanting to create an “institutional conflict” with the president of the republic for remaining silent at the meeting of the Council of State, an attitude the leader of the Social Democrat saw it as a pout in the wake of the presidential veto on the housing bill. For his part, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa denied any conflict between the two main figures of democracy.
“If the prime minister was silent, it was not because of a quarrel with the president of the republic”, Marcelo assured yesterday. “I heard the Prime Minister deny today’s news, according to which his silence was against the President of the Republic. I had read this news, I was amazed by it, but I understand that it was clear to him that it was about that,” it underlined head of state.
Luís Montenegro defended in Elvas that the country needs a new government led by a prime minister “with a different institutional feel”.
The PSD leader resumed the criticism he had leveled the day before after it became public that the prime minister had remained silent at the meeting of the Council of State, which Montenegro described as a “clear insult” to Marcelo.
“I want to express my concern about the way the Prime Minister (…) sees the responsibilities incumbent on him in the context of the Council of State in terms of explaining what constitutes the act or omission of government action,” he added , linking the Prime Minister’s behavior at the meeting of the Advisory Body of the President of the Republic to the fact that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had vetoed the housing law.
“Now, at a time when the president of the republic has decided not to announce a legislative package justifying his decision, a prime minister responds with the sulking silence at a meeting of the Council of State,” complained Luís Montenegro.
selective escapes
“Anyone who has decided to make selective leaks at recent meetings, or told lies about what is happening in the Council of State, is doing a disservice to the institutions, democracy and the Council of State. The Council of State is a consultative body for the President of the Republic, where people should feel free to express themselves or not, so that the President of the Republic can benefit from that information. Compromising this character of confidentiality is a bad contribution. And they will not count on me for that bad contribution,” said António Costa.
On this subject, Montenegro regarded the Prime Minister’s statements as “almost anecdotal”, because “it can only be said now” that the information leaks were the responsibility of the PSD leader. “There is one thing you can be absolutely sure of: I was not at the meeting of the Council of State, neither this one nor the last one. What I know is what is made public and what is not denied.”he said.
The law of the Council of State says that the meetings of this body are “not public” and stipulates “the duty of confidentiality” for its members and for the secretary. At the same time, however, it admits that “the consultation and publication of the minutes, in whole or in part, are reserved in exceptional cases by decision of the President of the Republic”. And it stipulates that the opinions of the Council are “compulsorily published” when the President of the Republic puts on the agenda a decision to dissolve the Assembly of the Republic, regional parliaments or the resignation of the government, as well as the appointment or dismissal of representatives. of the Republic of the Azores and Madeira.
Apart from that – as Costa and Marcelo noted yesterday – “the minutes of the Council of State cannot be consulted or made public for a period of thirty years, counting from the end of the presidential term of office during which the meetings to which they relate, were maintained. “, which means that the minutes of the Council of State of Marcelo’s current mandate can only be consulted after March 9, 2056.
Source: DN
