First it was Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, now it is the turn of Luís Montenegro and Carlos Moedas to in turn bring the name of former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho to the public square. AND everyone thinks the same: that the former ruler still has a lot to give to Portugal and the Portuguese.
“Being so young [Pedro Passos Coelho]the country can wait, I can expect a lot from your contribution in the future, I have no doubt about that”, said the President of the Republic last Saturday the 15th. On the 17th followed Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon and one of the vice presidents of the PSD. To what the head of state had said: “Former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has contributed a lot to the country and can continue to contribute in everything he thinks he should contribute.”he said, adding that Passos Coelho was “a great prime minister” and that “he is an extraordinary man”.
This Tuesday it was the turn of Luís Montenegro to speak out. As the former prime minister is “one of the most qualified people Portugal has,” the PSD chairman said Pedro Passos Coelho (of whom Montenegro was parliamentary leader in 2011) “the country has a lot to offer, not only from the perspective of exercising public functions” (without specifying what specific functions he was talking about though). “In fact, I think that Portugal, even from an academic point of view, has to take advantage of his know howhis experience, his deep knowledge of the reality of the country and of Europe,” he underlined.
“[Pedro Passos Coelho] is one of the most qualified people Portugal has and when a country has a person with this profile, with this experience, with this qualification, it has a person who can perform many tasks.”
Luís Montenegro, President of the PSD
But for Luís Montenegro, this is not the time to speculate about the possible public office of the former prime minister. “It’s not worth making movies around it, it’s not worth doing futurology, it’s not worth taking it out, extrapolating whatever it is” of the intervention of the former ruler.
Since leaving the party leadership in 2018, Pedro Passos Coelho has kept away from political life and taught at two faculties: the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon (ISCSP) and Lusíada University. Recall that at the time, ISCSP students filed two petitions (one against, one for) about hiring the former prime minister for the institution’s faculty.
Everything changed last August, when Pedro Passos Coelho returned to a party initiative for the first time in four years: Festa do Pontal, the rent of the Social Democrats.
“He is an extraordinary person who has given a lot to the country. [Pode dar mais a Portugal?] Absolutely sure. (…) He is an extraordinary man.”
Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon
Always by the side of newly elected leader Luís Montenegro, Passos was highly sought after by those in attendance, taking selfies and taking the time to talk to militants. But at the time, he refused to show his presence as a return to political life. “This has an exceptional character as I remain withdrawn from political action”he then said, making it clear that he was not in Pontal to “make big statements” but to hug “Luís Montenegro, a well-prepared and competent person” to become, in his perspective, the next Portuguese Prime Minister, if successor to Antonio Costa.
Source: DN
