The Prime Minister today thanked the President of the Republic for the “eight years of cooperation and institutional solidarity” and considered that “it will hardly be possible to find another period” in which relations were “in such a fluid, cooperative and supportive way”.
“I want to thank these eight years of cooperation and institutional solidarity”, said António Costa in his statement to journalists at the end of the last meeting of the Council of Ministers of this Government, alongside the head of State Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who chaired the meeting.
The Prime Minister considered that “it will hardly be possible to find another period in which the relationship between the Government and the Presidency has continued in such a fluid, cooperative and supportive manner”.
António Costa also thanked Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for accepting the invitation to preside over this, which is the last meeting of the Council of Ministers of the XXIII Government and pointed out that it was already “a tradition” that began with the former head of State Cavaco Silva.
“It is, more than a gesture of courtesy, to emphasize the importance of cooperation and institutional solidarity between the Government and other sovereign bodies”, he stated.
For his part, the President of the Republic said goodbye to António Costa as Prime Minister, but did not close the door on the possibility of the two meeting again “at other crossroads” in the service of Portugal.
“This does not mean that this is the last time that we will find ourselves at these crossroads in the service of Portugal”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in a statement to journalists, at the end of the Council of Ministers meeting, in which there was no right to questions, and without explain what he was referring to.
The head of state also thanked the prime minister for eight years of coexistence, considering it difficult to find in the history of Portuguese democracy a period of greater institutional solidarity between the two figures.
“It doesn’t mean that there was always an agreement, but there was always a good institutional relationship and, above all, national solidarity”, he highlighted.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa participated in this Council of Ministers at the invitation of António Costa. In 2016, Costa made a similar invitation to Aníbal Cavaco Silva, at the end of his presidential term, at that time a Council of Ministers exclusively dedicated to maritime matters, which took place at the São Julião da Barra Fort, in Oeiras.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had also presided over another Council of Ministers, in 2021, which took place in the Monsanto area, in the city of Lisbon, and was dedicated to the topic of forests.
“It is, more than a gesture of courtesy, to emphasize the importance of cooperation and institutional solidarity between the Government and other sovereign bodies and, in particular, with the President of the Republic”, said the outgoing Prime Minister today .
António Costa has been Prime Minister since 2015 and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa President of the Republic since 2016.
According to article 133 of the Constitution, it is part of the President of the Republic's powers to “preside over the Council of Ministers, when the Prime Minister requests it”.
The Democratic Alliance (pre-electoral coalition that brought together PSD, CDS-PP and PPM) won the elections on the 10th and the PSD leader was appointed prime minister by the President of the Republic. Luís Montenegro presents his Government on March 28th and the inauguration is scheduled for April 02nd.
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