[ad_1]
The President of the Republic considers it “desirable” that the PCP Congress, between November 27 and 29, be held in accordance with the rules of the state of emergency, despite the law that safeguards political meetings. This position was transmitted this Saturday by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in statements to journalists, after being present at a mass at the Sanctuary of Fátima in honor of the victims of covid-19.
“It is true that the law expressly establishes that political and union activities cannot be affected by the state of emergency. There is an article there. But it is also true that the perception (I have spoken about it many times) is that what is determined for some is also determined for everyone, ”said the head of state, after being asked about the PCP Congress in Loures. Lisbon district.
According to the President of the Republic, “the measures that are taken -which will depend a lot on the evolution of the figures in the coming days- is desirable for everyone.” The regime of the state of siege and the state of exception establishes that “in no case shall the meetings of statutory bodies of political parties, unions and professional associations be prohibited, dissolved or subject to prior authorization.” In this context, the Government decree exempts “heads of sovereign bodies, leaders of the social partners and political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic from restrictions on movement.”
Asked how the National Congress of the PCP, in Loures, could be compatible with the curfew rules, if they are at that time in that municipality of the Lisbon district, the head of state argued that this is possible under the following conditions: ” Curfew compatible with political meetings is possible because the curfew begins at a certain time and meetings can end until that time, all. All political, religious, social and economic gatherings can take place in the period when, in theory, there is no curfew. The curfew begins at 11 at night ”, he pointed out, referring to the regime that lasts until the 23rd during the weekdays, in the municipalities with the most critical epidemiological situation, and not the defined curfew for this and the next weekends. weekends in these counties. The PCP congress is scheduled for the following weekend, on November 27, 28 and 29.
Marcelo de Sousa stressed that it is possible to have meetings “during the day, in the morning, in the afternoon and even at the beginning of the night, not after 11 at night.” “One thing seems obvious: from what I will hear from the parties this week, what is decided in a state of emergency for the future will be the same for everyone,” he said.
But the President of the Republic also left a warning: “If there is a general rule in a difficult situation, with increasing numbers, and when the number of infected grows, it means that the number of hospitalized patients, intensive care patients and deaths , with a distance of a month and a half and sometimes two months, then it is better to be safe than sorry and to find solutions that are accepted more peacefully by society ”, he emphasized.
Before journalists, the head of state defended that “there is more moral authority” if the rules were the same for everyone “than if specific solutions are found for very specific cases.” “It was also what led the Government to withdraw many exceptions that had been made. So many doubts arose: there is a general rule, but there are so many exceptions that it is not possible to understand which is the general rule and which is the exception ”, he said.
CFP refuses to change the date or location
This week, in an interview with Observer, the secretary general of the PCP recalled that, under the terms of the law and the Constitution, the meetings of the statutory bodies of the parties cannot be prohibited, dissolved or subject to prior authorization during the state of emergency and that, with this advance , force the PCP to change the date or place of the congress would be tantamount to prohibiting it. “An unacceptable proposal”, summarized Jerónimo de Sousa. In any case, said the general secretary, the PCP has already reduced the number of delegates by 50%, has already decided not to have national or foreign guests to the congress and is committed to its safe development, committing to follow all the norms and recommendations that the General Health Directorate produces on the event.
Regarding the “perception” of public opinion in relation to the congress, the communist leader accused the “big media” of generating “mystification, spreading fear”, to come later to warn that this perception exists. And he remembered that Ahead! occurred without problems – “And what was said, what was said,” he emphasized.
Marcelo praises the Church
During his visit to the Sanctuary of Fatima, the head of the Nation praised the Catholic Church. Marcelo believes that the Catholic Church has been “truly exemplary” in the face of the pandemic, renouncing the holding of relevant celebrations, such as May 13 and October 13 “. “It was a great effort. Even now, talking to the president of the Episcopal Conference [disse] what the Catholic Church has done is truly exemplary of service, of fundamental values, but also of service to the Portuguese community ”, he declared.
In his statements, the President of the Republic left a warning about the violence registered in the demonstrations in recent days: “The worst that can happen in Portuguese society is the confrontation between those who want the rapid opening of the economy and those who fear that this opening will sacrifice life and health.” “We have to avoid this,” he added.
