The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, stated on Monday that he has never had “strained relations with anyone,” in response to recent reports involving him and the candidate Henrique Gouveia Melo. He declined to comment on the general strike organized by CGTP and UGT.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was initially questioned about the new Foreigners Law, noting that the proposal was expected to reach his office later that day.
“I was expecting it to arrive today by 5 PM. However, by 6 PM, it still hadn’t arrived, so it will come tomorrow. The eight days start from tomorrow, I believe. If it has arrived now or arrives tomorrow, the President has to wait eight days because it is a law with a special constitutional regime,” he told journalists in Luanda, Angola.
When asked if he feels he is interfering in these presidential elections, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated he had already addressed the question.
“What I said corresponds to what I have always said, and it remains so. I believe that the President should not comment on former presidents, those that follow, or candidates for succession. That is a good principle. It’s the principle of the normal functioning of institutions, as he does not comment on any municipal, European, or legislative election. For even more reason, a presidential election,” he emphasized.
Confronted with the recent events involving him and presidential candidate Henrique Gouveia and Melo, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that he has “never had strained relations with anyone.”
“The sitting President never experienced strained relations with anyone. I do not know if it is a quality or a defect, but this President has a way of being that cultivates relationships with everyone, independently of personalities, political, religious, social, or economic areas. It’s how one is born, and until death, remains so,” he pointed out.
Asked whether there are objective reasons for a general strike or not, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declined to respond.
“Do not expect me to comment on such a matter now, especially here, even though it is Portuguese territory like the embassy [in Angola]. I will not comment,” he noted.
It is worth noting that the President is on an official trip to Angola, where he will participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the country’s independence.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in the Angolan capital on Monday, accompanied by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs and a deputy from each parliamentary group of the Assembly of the Republic.
The visit, according to a statement from the presidency, “will be a very significant moment in the relationship of close cooperation and deep friendship between Portugal and Angola.”
