While the nation’s television stations were focused on what was ultimately a disappointing parliamentary debate yesterday, President Marcelo spiced the afternoon up considerably at the PSD Summer University being held in Castelo de Vide, Portalegre, until Sunday.
He wasn’t even meant to be there. As Lusa explains, Marcelo was scheduled to participate via a video call, but, as he himself explained “speaking by videoconference is a pain, you’re seen badly, you don’t get half the pleasure”… and because this is the last PSD Summer University of his 10-year mandate, he said, he ‘couldn’t say goodbye’ by video.
Then followed characteristic plain speaking – perhaps plainer than usual. In the words of Diário de Notícias: “The head of state made an initial speech in which he addressed the international situation and described his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in an unusual way, to say the least”.
Portugal’s president described Mr Trump as a Russian asset. It is not a new notion; Mr Trump has been thus described many times in the past – but not by sitting presidents of Europe.
“The supreme leader of the world’s greatest superpower, objectively, is a Soviet or Russian asset,” Marcelo told his young audience.
“Objectively, the new American leadership has strategically favored the Russian Federation (…) they have gone from being allies on one side, to arbiters of the challenge…”
But this was only part of President Marcelo’s ‘goodbye speech’. He stressed that he intends to “step away from politics completely” when he ceases to be president on March 9 next year, and plans to teach in primary and secondary schools, participating only in the Council of State and in official ceremonies – and he admitted that his 10-year mandate really hasn’t gone the way he had imagined.
“Let’s just say that, despite what I had thought and dreamed of at certain moments, what was actually possible fell short of what I had thought and dreamed of achieving,” he said, adding that this became more pronounced during his second term – a term he had never intended to pursue but which, with the pandemic in full throttle, was impossible not to. (“No-one would have understood the person at the top leaving. But when I stayed, I was absolutely certain that what would happen next would be a cumulative factor in the system’s deterioration”).
That system appears to be continuing to deteriorate (as was fairly obvious from yesterday’s parliamentary debate) Marcelo’s dream of a strong and stable government has, up to this point, remained unrealised, albeit it does seem possible that the current administration will last the requisite four year term it won in May.
That said, there has been no immeidate comment from government quarters on Marcelo’s speech – and absolutely no reaction to his assessment of Donald Trump. The only comment so far has come from euro MP Tânger Correia (CHEGA) who believes Marcelo “has crossed a red line.
“It is beyond the jurisdiction of a Portuguese President of the Republic to say such a thing,” Correia told Diário de Notícias, adding that the statements will have no impact on bilateral relations “because Marcelo has no credibility whatsoever” and the situation “is so surreal that it cannot even be taken seriously”.
Source material: Diário de Notícias/ Lusa
