The President of the Republic today defended the choice for democracy, even if imperfect, against dictatorship, arguing that the strongest societies are democracies and remembering that before the 25th of April there was no hemicycle of popular choice.
«Let us have the humility and intelligence to always prefer democracy, even imperfect, to dictatorship», stated Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the solemn session commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April in the Assembly of the Republic.
The head of state considered that many advances achieved in these five decades are «needing the impetus of new generations, ideas and people», before the 25th of April «remains or ends up becoming nostalgic, nostalgic, more past than future» .
«What to do, how to do it? Take what is strongest, most lasting, most redeeming, most promising in April, and with that, recreate Portugal. This unique, singular value, which never died, never went away, never weakened: it is called freedom, democracy and the will of the people. So let us recognize this vital force of democracy,” he appealed.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa argued that «democracies, even unfinished ones, are the strongest and most creative societies in the world, as they are the best humanly, as they are the most environmentally advanced, as they are the freest, most plural, most open, least repressive, less persecutory, less intolerant, less averse to differences».
Democracies are "more open to everyone, even everyone, including those who contest, in whole or in part, that democracy", he added.
«No one wants to exchange a less perfect democracy for a dictatorship, even if seductive or hidden behind illiberal tics. We in Portugal don't want it. What we want is greater economic, social and cultural quality, to give strength to better political quality", she reinforced.
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