President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal is currently visiting Germany to participate in the Bürguerfest, an annual event hosted by the German president that celebrates civic engagement among citizens.
While in Berlin and after dining at a Portuguese restaurant, the Portuguese Head of State was asked about the 27 years and three months prison sentence of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil.
He declined to comment on the sentence, stating that presidents of other countries “should not interfere in the internal affairs of any other state, particularly a brother state like Brazil, especially when it involves jurisdictional matters.”
“One observes from the outside and does not participate in internal affairs,” he remarked.
This stance extends to former U.S. President Donald Trump as well. “I do not comment on other presidents and believe that this should be the practice of Portuguese presidents,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa noted.
October 5 with Only “Flag Raising and National Anthem
Regarding the celebrations of October 5, Republic Day, the President of Portugal announced that “only some holders of sovereign bodies, such as the President of the Republic, the Assembly of the Republic, the Government, courts, and Lisbon officials will be present at the Paços do Conselho.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa chose not to comment on the conviction of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro or speak about U.S. President Donald Trump. Regarding October 5, he stated that the Republic Day celebrations will only involve the “flag raising and the national anthem.”
Natacha Nunes Costa | 14:42 – 12/09/2025
“There will be no speeches, just flag raising and the national anthem,” he assured.
This is “to prevent,” according to Marcelo, “any implications in the final phase of the campaign that might suggest any correlation with the electoral campaign.”
On his trip to Germany, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa pointed out that the Bürguerfest—contrary to what Chega leader André Ventura believed—is a “citizenship initiative” promoted by the German president.
This year, Portugal was the invited country by Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Marcelo views the event as an ideal moment for the “promotion of Portugal.”
“Portugal is now an option for Germany, and we anticipate welcoming 2 million Germans who are occupying spaces previously popular with other tourists in the Algarve, Lisbon, Greater Porto, and the islands, notably Madeira. There has been a massive influx of German tourism,” he highlighted, adding that the event occurs in the woodland of the German presidential residence.
“We will have cultural and political debates. We will showcase what Portugal is, talk about Portugal,” he emphasized.
It is worth noting that this visit to Berlin by the Portuguese President sparked significant discussion after the leader of Chega claimed Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was using taxpayer money to attend a hamburger festival, when, in fact, the Bürguerfest is a Citizen’s Festival.
