The president of the republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, defended this Saturday that next year will be “the first great test” of the government, warning that “as 2023 is, so is the rest of the legislature”.
Speaking to journalists at the Rastrillo Solidarity Fair in Lisbon, the head of state said he will be “very attentive to what this year 2023 will look like”.
“It is clear that 2022 was very marked because there were elections six or seven months ago. Now 2023 is a test, it is the first big test for the 2024 European elections and these years are fundamental to test how we can crisis and how there are political conditions to implement what the Portuguese want, which is to overcome this crisis,” he defended.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he spoke “for the government and for the whole country”.
“We know there is war, and we know there is inflation and we know 2023 will be worse than 2022. And as 2023 progresses, so will the rest of the legislature,” he stressed.pointing out that “it is a decisive year”.
Asked whether more support measures for businesses and households will be needed to help them cope with the crisis, the head of state said that “if the situation is worse in 2023 than in 2022, it will be difficult not to “.
“It is so logical, so logical, so logical that it follows from the nature of things. If inflation suddenly becomes very high, if the situation of families deteriorates, if there is something that fortunately has not happened so far, and that If there is unemployment, then public support must of course increase”, he considered.
According to you, the next times will be “very difficult”.🇧🇷
“The year 2023 will be a year of more war, we don’t know until when, inflation too, we don’t know until when, of more costs in the lives of the Portuguese, we don’t know until when. This implies, on the one hand, attention from on the side of social support governments, but implies social solidarity,” he argued.
Regarding the possibility of a downward revision of the economic forecasts, the President of the Republic noted that “no one knows” and indicated that “the latest forecasts are more negative for all of Europe and for the whole world.”
“If I say more negative is either increase inflation or keep it too high and reduce wealth growth […]🇧🇷 Let’s see if it happens or not, it depends a lot, a lot, a lot on the duration of the war,” he mused.
In the margins of the visit to this solidarity initiative, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was also questioned about statements by the General Secretary and Prime Minister of the PS, António Costa, who defended that Portugal has grown more than France, Spain and Germany over the past seven years, converging with the European Union average.
“Well it happened. This year it happened, why was it possible? Because the last quarter of 2021 was very good, the first quarter of 2022 was very good and we made it through the rest without losing what we feared to lose,” said the president.
However, the head of state warned that “the problem is 2023 and with regards to 2023 if the war continues and inflation continues what was frankly better than expected in 2022 will get worse in 2023🇧🇷
“I Never Get Tired”
The president of the republic still denied that he was tired of occupying the position and believed that at this point “it would be bad” for a break or shortening of the mandate given the context the country is going through.
“No, I am not tired of the presidency and on the contrary, more president is needed at a time of more crisis, as is clear,” defended Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in statements to journalists during a visit to the Rastrillo Solidarity Fair, in Lisbon.
The head of state said he arrived from Qatar on Friday and he had “so many obligations, so many obligations, most of them social,” but said he is not getting tired.
“I never get tired, I often get criticized for never getting tired and other times for getting tired,” he said, admitting he is more demanding in his second term.
“I am. I have already sent a diploma to the Constitutional Court, I can send others,” he warned.
Source: DN
