During the presentation of a book compiling texts by founder Francisco Sá Carneiro from the year of his death, 1980, Cavaco Silva recounted how the former prime minister achieved the first absolute majority for the Democratic Alliance (AD) in 1979 and strengthened it months later, despite what he described as a “campaign of slander” against him by the Socialist Party (PS) and the Communist Party (PCP).
“The attacks on the prime minister by the Socialist Party and the Communist Party had, in fact, the opposite effect to what they expected (…) Despite the opposition campaigns against Prime Minister Sá Carneiro, the Democratic Alliance won the elections again on October 5, 1980, even reinforcing its majority,” he said.
The former Head of State also asserted that “Sá Carneiro is proof that, in Portugal, the choice of the prime minister is decisive for the success of the Government and for solving Portugal’s problems.”
In his speech, Cavaco Silva did not mention the pre-election campaign situation nor the position of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. At the end, neither made statements to the media.
The Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) accompanied the former Head of State to the exit and bid farewell with the phrase “Until the 6th, if not before,” apparently referring to the party’s anniversary dinner scheduled for May 6, during the election campaign for the anticipated legislative elections on May 18.
