The president of the republic said this Friday that he “does not expect dissolution”, responding to the “chorus of criticism against the administration”, stating that he is “in institutional stability overall”.
Speaking to journalists from the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he had already taken up this position recently, despite “a growth in some sectors of Portuguese public opinion towards a critical view that inevitably culminates in this escalation towards dissolution. “.
And he repeated: “No, don’t count on me for that. That’s why it’s better not to count on me. They count on me to have the same institutional behavior I’ve had for seven years.”
“The President of the Republic, faced with what seemed to many a chorus of criticism of the government that almost pointed to dissolution, said: No, don’t count on dissolution. Now it is fundamental that the government governs and governs well.” he added Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
“Outdated” situation in agriculture
The President of the Republic also considered that the situation of the Minister of Agriculture, following the resignation of Secretary of State Carla Alves, “is an outdated problem”.
When asked whether Minister Maria do Céu Antunes can remain in office or is politically restricted, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied: “As for the specific point you are asking me, I think it is an outdated question.”
“Madam Secretary of State [da Agricultura] understood that there were political reasons justifying the request for his removal from office, he asked. So this is a judgment that only everyone can make.” he said, pointing out that any ruler can make that judgment “at any time: when he enters, during the exercise.”
When asked how he assesses the situation of the Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes, the head of state gives the same answer: “Strictly speaking, this issue is outdated.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa noted that “every member of government is really the final judge of what their political future is”.
“Each member of the government is free to form his or her own judgment at any time: do I have more positive conditions or more restrictions of a negative nature for the performance of my duties? That is a free decision. Here it was of the secretary of state, not of the minister,” he added.
Source: DN
