The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, refused today to comment on the constitution of the new government led by António Costa, but stressed that he would make different choices if he were prime minister.
“Each prime minister organises his government to what he believes is the best at that moment, and then chooses the people who are most suitable from his point of view. I’m not prime minister, I’m President of the Republic, so I’m not the one who has to form the government. As prime minister, I would certainly form a government in another political area and with other people, but these are just my thoughts on the subject,” he stressed.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also asserted that it is up to the prime minister to decide “whether he wants a very long or short term team,” and whether or not it should be “more centralised in leadership and made up of people closest to him.”
The head of state also announced that he had already written the speech for the inauguration of the new executive, scheduled for Wednesday, although he refused to discuss its contents with journalists, saying that they would just have to wait.
The Prime Minister, António Costa, presented to the President of the Republic on Wednesday the composition of his new Government which now has 17 ministers, two less than in the previous one.
This is the third government headed by António Costa, and his first with an absolute majority. For the first time, excluding the prime minister, the government comprises of more women than men.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
