“Close cooperation between President and Prime Minister is a requirement of political logic”, declared Francisco Sarsfield Cabral, director of the Catholic radio station Radio Renascença, in a comment on the Portuguese elections of 22 December, published in recent days by the Portuguese Church-sponsored Ecclesia press agency. The bishops did not officially pronounce on the elections. The victory of Anibal Cavaco Silva, elected as President of the Republic with 50.8% of the votes, according to Cabral, “will be a support for the difficult provisions that the government will necessarily have to continue to take. These provisions, in the environment sphere, in social security, and in healthcare, will cause, as already announced, understandable discontent among those who stand to lose benefits”. “For the first time since the return of democracy thirty years ago pointed out Cabral we have a President of the Republic not from the left. A democratic alternation as Head of State is a good thing”. “Paradoxically added Cabral in contrast to those who see in the victory of Cavaco Silva a threat to government stability, a counter-power to the Socialist executive and, even, the threat of a constitutional coup d’état, the next President will – I am convinced help reinforce the government’s capacity” through the “recovery of the public finances and, on this basis, a revival of the economy”.
