Former Prime Minister and President Aníbal Cavaco Silva spoke at an official ceremony held at São Bento to mark the 40th anniversary of his first inauguration as head of government on November 6, 1985.
During his address, Cavaco Silva opted not to discuss the actions of his administration. Instead, he highlighted what he considered the high and low points of his tenure as prime minister.
The most difficult moment, he recounted, occurred on January 2, 1990, when he had to carry out a cabinet reshuffle that saw the replacement of five ministers, including the vice-prime minister and the defense minister.
“I had to prepare and carry out the replacement of five ministers, including the vice-prime minister and defense minister, who had just resigned. The loneliness that normally strikes a prime minister in such a situation was very heavy and profound for me. The announcement of the reshuffle on January 2, 1990, took the media and the political country by surprise,” he said.
Cavaco Silva noted that this political crisis did not prevent the PSD from winning an absolute majority in the subsequent 1991 legislative elections.
As for the finest moment, the historic social democrat cited the day his government reached an agreement with the PS on the terms of the 1989 constitutional revision. This revision eliminated the principle of irreversibility of nationalizations conducted after April 25, opened up television to private initiative, reduced the number of deputies, eliminated the full gratuity of the National Health Service (SNS), and enshrined the popular referendum.
“It was a decisive constitutional revision for the country to meet the challenge of European integration,” he remarked.
This session in the Fireplace Room was attended by current government ministers and several of Cavaco Silva’s former associates, including current presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes, State Council member Leonor Beleza, and former PSD leader Manuela Ferreira Leite.
Other notable attendees included Eduardo Catroga, João de Deus Pinheiro, Teresa Patrício Gouveia, Faria de Oliveira, and Mira Amaral.
Behind the podium was a photograph from Cavaco Silva’s inauguration, administered by then-President Ramalho Eanes, also featuring his predecessor as Prime Minister, the socialist Mário Soares.
Aníbal Cavaco Silva served as prime minister for ten years, from 1985 to 1995, achieving two absolute majorities in legislative elections. He served as President of the Republic from 2006 to 2016.
