The Prime Minister refused to clarify whether Admiral Gouveia Melo informed the Government if he wants to remain Chief of Staff of the Navy (CEMA) and stated that the PSD will preferably support a party candidate in the presidential elections.
Questioned by journalists on the sidelines of the award, in Porto, of the António Manuel da Mota Prize, Luís Montenegro said that regarding CEMA the Government would decide within the timetables set out in the Law.
“Firstly, regarding the Chief of Staff of the Navy, the Government will decide within the ‘timings’ that are provided for in the Law on this and, therefore, I won’t do anythingI’m not even going to comment on the news that was made public”, he said.
Regarding the presidential elections, Montenegro stated that, “as president of the PSD”, he is “bound to a strategy motion” that he presented to the last congress.
“We recommend a candidacy in our political space, preferably from one of our activists, and that is what we are going to do”, concluded the prime minister, without answering further questions from journalists.
The online newspaper Observador reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the process, that Admiral Gouveia Melo “definitely” communicated to the Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, his unavailability to continue in his position as Chief of Staff of the Navy (CEMA ).
To the Observer, the admiral avoided commenting on the information and sent an official response to the Government: “The Government can confirm this information or not. It has already been discussed with the Government for some time.”
In an interview with RTP, on September 5th, Gouveia de Melo was asked about a possible presidential candidacy and replied: “I don’t want to say no”. “A soldier, after finishing active service, is a normal citizen”, he highlighted.
Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who coordinated the team responsible for the national vaccination calendar against Covid-19, took office as CEMA on December 27, 2021, and is about to serve his three-year term.
In the speech that Luís Montenegro gave at the closing ceremony of the Manuel António da Mota Prize, this afternoon, in the Alfândega do Porto building, he highlighted the support for women victims of violence, saying he was “in solidarity with the jury”, as “incorporates a concern that should not be neglected by anyone”
“Women, unfortunately, are a part of our population that is most affected (…). Women are most attacked, from simple verbal violence to death”, he stated, noting that everyone will always be “few in the achievement that represents for all of us the guarantee of effective equality for the entire society”.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the work of the Manuel António da Mota Foundation and its companies, stating that it is “proud” to have a foundation like this in Portugal.
“Família Mota (Engil), I wanted to say thank you and that we will be by your side so that you continue to be an active contribution to Portugal’s success”, he declared, adding that the foundation exists “because in addition to all the business audacity and values it cultivated in his family, was also able to give a trajectory to his companies (…), with a sense of risk (…), but which could lead to the production of greater wealth”.
Looking at the four generations of Mota Engil there is a common thread in all of them, said Montenegro, highlighting the “capacity for leadership, innovation, growth, sense of responsibility”, suggesting that there are “more companies” like those of the Manuel da Mota Foundation , to generate more wealth”.
“My wish today is that the work of the foundation’s companies can continue and that in the coming years we will see the (foundation) award projects for the integration of immigrants, support for families, territorial cohesion, innovation and climate concern” .
“This foundation, these awards, this social responsibility that the Mota Engil group has, is equivalent to a social moment that we advocate for the country. We do not want to have stigmas in society.”
The Democratic Association for the Defense of Women’s Interests and Equality (ADDIM), an institution in Porto that evaluates and monitors cases of domestic violence, today won the Manuel António da Mota Prize, worth 50 thousand euros.
Source: expresso.pt
