“I understand that the party leader, out of courtesy, decided to invite all former leaders, so it would be a bit strange not to invite me,” remarked the President of the Republic, responding to journalists’ questions at the Belém Palace in Lisbon.
The head of state added that the current Prime Minister and President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) “was already aware,” however, that he would not accept the invitation because “I had already told him what my response was.”
“It is evident that, during the campaign period, the President of the Republic, who has a suprapartisan status, cannot be present at an event that might be perceived as a campaign initiative,” justified Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who led the PSD from 1996 to 1999.
On this occasion, the President also discussed his participation on Sunday in a procession in Loulé, Algarve, where he appeared alongside the head of the list for the Democratic Alliance (PSD/CDS-PP) in the Faro district, Maria da Graça Carvalho, the current Minister of Environment and Energy.
The head of state mentioned that “the invitation came from the socialist mayor,” Vítor Aleixo, “and the only doubt that could arise is that it is a municipality where the presence of a particular party has been very clear and dominant for a long time.”
When asked if he felt uncomfortable having the AD head of the list by his side during the official campaign period for the legislative elections, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied: “No. I had the socialist mayor, the socialist deputy, the socialist candidate, and, in fact, candidates from other parties, in various moments of the procession.”
He emphasized, “There were other parties there as well, as is obvious, including heads of lists, councilors, and leaders from other parties.”
The 51st anniversary of the PSD, on Tuesday, May 6, coincided with the official campaign period for the upcoming legislative elections on May 18.
Luís Montenegro gathered almost all former leaders for lunch at the party’s national headquarters in Lisbon, including Pedro Passos Coelho, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes, Manuela Ferreira Leite, and Rui Rio.
In the morning, the PSD president suggested he had invited the head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, to attend this lunch and explained his absence: “As the President of the Republic understands—and I comprehend—that he should not have party involvement during the electoral campaign period.”
