“Tell the Portuguese to vote for another government” – Observer



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Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was questioned by a citizen at the Porto Book Fair, who identified himself as a small businesswoman and, excited and apparently filming the conversation, asked the President of the Republic about the lack of state support for companies of this type .

“Why don’t you leave these people who are making us die?” He asked, mobile phone in hand, presumably recording that exchange of words. “We have to pay for everything and nobody helps us. Why do they help TAP and hotels and we, who are micro-entrepreneurs, don’t help each other? “The citizen asked, at the end of her challenge to the President of the Republic, where she even said that a” colleague “of hers had committed suicide.

Among several interruptions of the same popular, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa ended up answering him: “Because the Portuguese voted for this Government. Tell the Portuguese to vote for another government ”.

To this response, the citizen in question replied to the President of the Republic that he did not vote for the Government of the Socialist Party and António Costa. “So, but the majority voted. The majority voted, what should I do? ”, Answered Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. “You know that people vote.”

This altercation, recorded by the cameras of various media At the event and broadcast by SIC Notícias, he started with that citizen asking several questions about the nature of the Portuguese political system, based on semi-presidentialism and not presidentialism.

“Why does the Government have more power than the President, why?” Launched the citizen. “Because that’s how the Constitution was voted,” replied the president. “No, we have to change things,” continued the citizen. “Why don’t people change things? Why don’t you change things? Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said: “Because that’s how the Constitution was voted”. And after further insistence she replied that “the law is made by parliament.”

Moments after that interpellation, in statements to SIC Notícias, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that listening to citizens in situations of this type is also part of his job: “The President of the Republic also serves to listen to the outbreak of the people” . Referring that this citizen was “very friendly (…) personally” with the President of the Republic, she stressed that she was “Critical in relation to politics and management, of the country, executive”, that is, of the Government of António Costa.

“We held a debate there, which should not be very common for a President of the Republic to interrupt the protocol and be there to debate lively with a person. But that is freedom. She could say everything she wanted, sometimes she wouldn’t even let me say anything, but I listened, “he explained. “Because when a person is elected president, it is not just because of nice things.”

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