“It is a great honor,” stated the former Secretary of State for Communities, mentioning that this position is, protocol-wise, “the most important” he has ever held.
Cesário, who entered parliament in 1983 as a deputy and served as Secretary of State for Communities in four governments, including the first administration of Luís Montenegro (PSD-CDS/PP), has not been reappointed to his previous role within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Paulo Rangel.
In a social media post, the Social Democratic deputy acknowledged that he faces “a difficult mission in directing the work of a committee responsible for monitoring and evaluating foreign policy, measures in the areas of Portuguese communities, cooperation and development aid, and the process of concluding international agreements.”
The committee conducts regular hearings and is proposed by parliamentary groups to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Secretaries of State for Communities and Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and José Cesário expressed confidence that his government experience will ease his task.
“I understand very well what it means to be in parliament and what it means to be in government,” he commented.
The deputy identified as priorities the “creation of consensus” in directing the committee and seeking “to ensure a great dialogue with the different parliamentary forces.”
The Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities parliamentary committee will have Elza Pais (PS) and João Tilly (Chega) as vice-presidents.
When asked if consensus is more challenging in the current parliamentary setup, Cesário argued that “only by talking can people understand each other.”
“We represent all Portuguese people, regardless of whether they vote more to the left or more to the right,” he emphasized.
