“I don’t regret it”: Marcelo reinforces his idea about former colonies and says he is aligned with the Government

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on an official visit to Cape Verdecommented on the statements he made, during a conversation with international journalists, about the need for Portugal to pay “reparations” for crimes committed during the period of slavery and the colonial era.

After being criticized, mainly by Right-wing parties, the President of the Republic guarantees that he has not said anything new and that he is aligned with the Government, despite the statement from Luís Montenegro’s Executive in which he states that “no process” of reparation for the Portuguese colonial past.

“The Government, before releasing the statement, showed the President of the Republic that it agreed. (…) I limited myself to repeating what I had already said in the Assembly of the Republic. They asked me and I couldn’t help but answer.”

“The Prime Minister submitted the statement, I had just spoken in the same vein, I think [são duas coisas que] they complement each other very well” (…) “There is freedom of thought and opinion in Portugal”.

Marcelo says he does not regret his statements. “It’s an old idea of ​​mine, an idea that has borne fruit over the last 50 years and is bearing more fruit now”.

Asked about the idea launched by Nuno Melo of implementing mandatory military service for young people who commit petty crimes, or about the dismissal of Ana Jorge from Santa Casa da Misericórdia, the head of state denied “commenting on Government ideas or measures”.