Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was speaking at the traditional ceremony to present greetings from the Government, at the Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon, at a time when early legislative elections are scheduled for March 10th with António Costa leaving his position as Prime Minister.
"There was an effort at compromise here. I think it was worth it. It was worth it", he defended, before António Costa, after giving a summary of each of the eight years in which he served as President of the Republic with Prime Minister, since 2016.
"To be honest and sincere, I was convinced that it would last a while longer. I actually had a formula: one year and ten months", the head of state then declared, referring to "the time remaining until the holding of local elections and, therefore, the entry into the electoral period".
"But fate didn't want it to be like that. And, therefore, I was already thinking about breaking the record of having just one prime minister for ten years – it's a record I can't keep, but that's life" he added.
According to the President of the Republic, "The fact is that it was important for Portuguese democracy, it was important for the economy and for Portuguese society".
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlighted that "not everything went well", whether "for international reasons, for objective national reasons" or "for mistakes" that both men and others made.
"It's part of politics to be like this. But I think that one day when you look carefully and from a distance, you will say that it is no coincidence that the Portuguese people decided to maintain their options and choices regarding the President for so long and the Government", he considered.
"The memory of these eight years is a good memory", he reinforced.