Marcelo promises to defend democracy with tolerance and "stability without swamps"

The President of the Republic promised today to defend a “better democracy”, with tolerance and respect for all, rejecting the “myth of pure Portuguese”, with convergence in the regime and alternative governance, and “stability without a swamp”.

In his speech before the Assembly of the Republic, at the ceremony in which he took office for a second term, the head of State stated that ensuring these objectives will be his “first priority” over the next five years.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that “for the first time in a democracy a President of the Republic takes office in a state of emergency” and that during the Covid-19 pandemic the parliament “never ceased to function at the service of the Portuguese”, and thanked the deputies “ the example of dedication to democracy, never accepting to silence it, never accepting to suspend it, never accepting to take it hostage”.

“May this be the first lesson of today: we live in democracy, we want to continue to live in democracy, and in democracy to fight the most serious pandemics. We prefer freedom over oppression, dialogue over monologue, pluralism over censorship, and we demonstrated this by holding two pandemic elections, one of which resulted in the rise of opposition to the Government”, he said, referring to regional elections in the Azores, and noting: "This is democracy."

Then, the President of the Republic defended that “better democracy is needed, where freedom is not depleted by poverty, ignorance, dependence or corruption, where inclusion, tolerance, respect for all Portuguese, in addition to gender, creed, skin color, personal, political and social convictions are not sacrificed to the myth of pure Portuguese, of the enlightened caste, of the old and new privileged”.

"We want a democracy that is republican ethics in limiting terms of office, convergence in the regime and a clear alternative in governance, stability without swamps, justice with security, renewal that avoids rupture, anticipation that prevents decay, proximity that prevents fascination, arrogance, abuse of power . Ensuring it is the first priority of the President of the Republic for these five years”, he added.