Historical socialist Manuel Alegre said this Sunday that the president of the republic should not make threats about the dissolution of parliament, expressing his belief that despite having that power, he will not do so.
“The President of the Republic need not make threats, he has the power to dissolve [da Assembleia da República]if you want to dissolve, dissolve,” Manuel Alegre told journalists upon arrival at the Rosa Mota pavilion in Porto, where the Socialist Party’s 50th anniversary celebrations are taking place.
Asked about the President of the Republic’s criticism of the government, Manuel Alegre stated that “criticism is part of democracy”, and refused to criticize Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, with whom he said he was a friend.
But he doesn’t resolve [o parlamento]because the PS guarantees political stability in Portugal,” he added.
Last Friday, the president of the republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, declared in Braga that the dissolution of the republic’s assembly would be “bad news”, but underlined that “sometimes bad news has to be”.
“If you have to, let it be as late as possible,” he said.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa considered it important not to introduce factors of instability, unpredictability and insecurity, especially at a time when the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) is underway and Portugal 2030 is in its start-up phase.
In this sense, he called on political leaders “on all sides” to “make every effort” to ensure stability in the country.
“We thank you all. They thank the citizens and thank the President of the Republic, who has been released from a decision that belongs only to him,” he said.
On the contrary, “it would be bad news – and bad news we usually dismiss – to introduce an additional, complementary political factor, in the middle of this period of fund execution and facing the existing economic and financial situation” , he said.
Shortly afterwards, however, the head of state admitted that “sometimes it has to be bad news”.
“Ideally there shouldn’t be. If it should be there, let it be as late as possible, with the least cost in terms of instability. And as close to transition as it could anyway, if that were the will of good Portuguese, performance,” he added.
Source: DN
