Marcelo tells foreign journalists that Montenegro is “rural” and Costa “eastern”

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa outlined a profile of the new prime minister that is “difficult to understand”

The President of the Republic told foreign journalists in Portugal that the new Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, is “rural, unpredictable and demanding”.

It was at a dinner, this Tuesday, with correspondents, in which he also revealed that he “cut ties” with his son, due to his involvement in the case of the Portuguese-Brazilian twins, said Correio Braziliense.

“He is a person who comes from a deep, urban-rural country, with rural behaviors”, described Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, quoted by the Brazilian newspaper, stating that it is for this reason that Luís Montenegro “is difficult to understand”.

Comparing him to his predecessor, António Costa, who “being oriental, was slow, liked to inform, monitor and deliver”, Marcelo describes Montenegro as someone who is known for making last-minute decisions. “Montenegro is not oriental, but it is slow, it has the time of a rural country, although urbanized.”

The President of the Republic also reveals that the Prime Minister’s stance is reminiscent of “the old Social Democratic Party”, which led mainly in the North and Center-North of the country, while the PS led in Greater Lisbon, the metropolitan areas.

Marcelo also highlighted Montenegro’s propensity to surprise him daily with its “imaginative and traditional logic of the country”, which, despite being stimulating, translates into “a lot of work” for the president.

The most recent surprise was the choice of Sebastião Bugalho, 28 years old, to lead the Democratic Alliance in the next European elections, in June, contrary to expectations that the place would be taken by Rui Moreira, president of Porto City Council. “It was completely improvised, a secret until the end”, considered the president.

According to Correio Braziliense, Marcelo also talked about the unorthodox way in which Montenegro formed its Government, in which “ministers were only invited on the morning of the day on which the list was to be presented”, keeping the process secret until the end.

Marcelo predicted that Luís Montenegro’s secrecy and improvisational nature would continue to shape his leadership, leading to more surprises and the adoption of a “politician of silence” persona reminiscent of a bygone era. “He’s a great speaker, but he’s an old-fashioned politician. Let’s see if he can control the weather, make it compatible with the government, in the midst of polarization.”