The PSD chairman said this Wednesday that a possible return of Passos Coelho to active politics “will always be a cause of satisfaction” for the party and for himself, minutes after a short meeting with the president of the republic.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Luís Montenegro visited Lisbon’s tourism office this Wednesday — the president arrived before noon and the Social Democratic leader an hour later — but the crossing finally took place in the area dedicated to the Porto region .
The questions of many journalists were about the dinner that the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and the former Prime Minister, Pedro Passos Coelho, gathered on Monday at Grémio Literário, in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Senate, but this Wednesday neither Marcelo nor Montenegro wanted to continue the theme.
According to Expresso, the former PSD leader pointed to the lack of a plan for the country on Monday, called his “political horizon”, and pointed out to the head of state, who spoke next, that “it is worth setting this day “. “, in which Passos Coelho “defined his political and personal life, talking about the future”.
When asked if he had spoken to Luís Montenegro on this subject, the head of state replied: “We always talk, but we don’t tell the media”.
“almost every other day, every other day”Montenegro added.
“I don’t count the conversations I have here with the president”said Marcelo, confirming Montenegro: “And I much less”.
Later, already in statements to journalists without the President of the Republic nearby, Montenegro was again asked how he would see a possible return of Passos Coelho to politics.
“I cannot read what goes on in the mind of Pedro Passos Coelho, I think he is an extraordinary asset to the country, which the country should not take advantage of under any circumstances: in his academic life, either on behalf of Portugal or in active policy”he said.
“If Pedro Passos Coelho returns to active politics, it will always be a source of satisfaction for the PSD and for my particular satisfaction”he said, noting that if that happened it would be positive for the party, “and especially for the country”.
Montenegro assured it will not change its mind “whatever the circumstances may be” and even said it will be “by Passos Coelho’s side” when the former prime minister returns to public life.
“I’m not afraid of anything or anyone”he said, when asked if his eventual return does not overshadow his leadership, emphasizing that in the little more than six months in which he has led the PSD, the party is “challenging Portugal’s political leadership”.
The president of the PSD refused to comment on the considerations of the president of the republic – “he does not comment on mine either” – and emphasized the close relationship that exists between him and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa within “the tasks that fall under each”.
“Today it is up to me to be leader of the opposition, to lead the PSD and to be prime minister tomorrow, if the Portuguese want it”he said, saying he has every “respect and spirit of cooperation” with the way Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa carries out his presidential duties.
Asked if they mentioned Pedro Passos Coelho in the frequent conversations between the two, Montenegro did not directly answer: “We talk about many topics, we talk about everything that is important to the country and the role everyone plays”.
When asked if he had spoken to Pedro Passos Coelho, he replied in the affirmative: “Yes, we have spoken from time to time”.
Montenegro visited the Lisbon Tourism Exchange this Wednesday, starting with the “tribunes” of the Azores, where the president of the regional government was José Manuel Bolieiro, and Madeira, also with the presence of the leader of the government, Miguel Albuquerque.
The leader tasted a cheese from the Azores, toasted with wine from Arcos de Valdevez and was approached at the entrance by some protesters from the local accommodation sector who gathered at FIL on Wednesday afternoon to protest against the government’s measures for this sector.
“We have our door open so we can talk, maybe this time we are very much in agreement. Local accommodation and ‘golden’ visas are important for the country, for the economy, for tourism, for employment and for the revitalization of the city”defended Montenegro.
Marcelo says he only verified that Passos Coelho “spoke about his political future”
The president of the republic underlined this Wednesday that he does not “interfere in party life” and rejected speculation about a possible return to political life of Pedro Passos Coelho, stating that he only verified that the former prime minister “talked about his political future “. .
Speaking to journalists at the Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL), Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was asked if he believes former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has better conditions than Luís Montenegro to lead the PSD.
“I am not commenting on these issues, I just attended a session where the former Prime Minister and former leader of the PSD spoke about his political future”replied Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, referring to a Monday night dinner at Grémio Literário, where, according to Expresso, the President of the Republic, after listening to a speech by Passos Coelho, thought it worth recording that day, as the former Prime Minister had spoken about his political future.
This Wednesday, the President of the Republic said that at that meeting he was asked about the political future of Passos Coelho, after answering that he does not know and that “it is the person who decides on the possibility, whether, when, how “.
“I confine myself to verifying that he spoke of his political future. Now, in whatever office and in whatever way, it is not the President of the Republic who replaces the choice of any leaders or candidates with leaders of whatever it may be “strengthens.
Asked again if Passos Coelho is a “better alternative” than Luís Montenegro to lead the PSD, Marcelo repeated: “Whoever elects the leader of a party are the militants of the party, the president does not interfere in party life”.
On Tuesday, Expresso reported that Passos Coelho called his “political horizon” over dinner at Grémio Literário, where the president of the republic and the former PSD leader met.
According to Expresso, the former leader of the PSD pointed to the lack of purpose for the country, called his “political horizon” and pointed out to the head of state, who spoke next, that “it is worth capturing this day” , in that Passos Coelho “defined his political and personal life by talking about the future”.
“If things go the way they should, today is worth fixing”noted Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Speaking on the future of the European Union, Passos Coelho had said that to the “desperation of some” there will be no “kind of fiscal and debt union, nor a European government that responds to collective shocks in an aggregated way”. Then it did: “We won’t have it for years to come and I don’t expect it on the horizon of my political and personal life.”
Source: DN
