Former Portuguese president Aníbal Cavaco Silva defended the government during Monday’s State Council meeting, according to reporting by Observador. His intervention was described as particularly forceful, with Cavaco warning that groups on the radical left were politically manipulating demonstrations and criticising incidents of disrespect towards authorities. He also cautioned that ineffective management of protests could weaken the authority of the state.
The meeting, called by President António José Seguro, lasted around five hours and focused on social cohesion, with housing among the issues in the background. The statement released afterwards did not set out specific conclusions. It said council members had discussed ways to strengthen social cohesion in response to structural challenges including inequality, territorial cohesion and access to housing, education and healthcare.
The statement also said Seguro valued the contributions made by the members and stressed the importance of social cohesion in building public confidence in democratic institutions. Fifteen of the council’s 19 members attended. The meeting included two new participants: Constitutional Court president João Carlos Loureiro and Ombudsman Luísa Neto.
Sources: Observador.