The head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said Thursday that the president of the Regional Government of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, was invited to the June 10 celebrations in London, but “certainly forgot.”
Speaking to journalists in Braga, the President of the Republic was therefore “surprised” by the statement in which the Regional Government of Madeira states that there was no invitation to the Portugal Day ceremonies in London and speaks of “provocation to the organs of self-government”. in the region”.
Government of Madeira describes as “provocation” not to have been invited to the celebrations of June 10 in London
“I read it in the media. I was surprised because I the Chief of Staff had requested, he spoke personally with the President of the Regional Government to invite him and therefore the president has certainly forgotten about that,” the head of state told the media.
Earlier, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had already told RTP that, at his request, the head of his Civil House, Fernando Frutuoso de Melo, spoke with Miguel Albuquerque “personally inviting him to go to London.”
“For a very simple reason, because a third of the old emigrants in England, in the United Kingdom, are from Madeira. Therefore, he was expressly invited by the Presidency of the Republic. He must have forgotten by now,” he added. Considering that this is “not news”.
“He was invited, but he forgot”, reinforced the President of the Republic.
In the statement released this Thursday, the regional executive of Madeira PSD/CDS-PP headed by Miguel Albuquerque assures that he was not invited by the Presidency of the Republic to the Portugal Day events to be held in Londonbut only for the celebrations of this date in Braga.
“As this is not a lapse, it can only be read as a provocation to the government bodies of the region, perhaps in collusion with interests outside the date, the Madeirans and the Portuguese in general,” reads the Government note. Madeira Region. which mentions that “around a third” of the Portuguese emigrants in the United Kingdom are of Madeiran origin.
The official commemorations of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities began this Thursday at 10:30 am in Braga, with the raising of the national flag, in the Praça do Município.
In Braga, the head of state will maintain an intense program until Friday, June 10, when he will intervene in the military act commemorating the Day of Portugal, in which the constitutionalist Jorge Miranda, who chairs the organizing committee of these commemorations, will also intervene. speak.
Later, the Portugal Day celebrations will continue in London, United Kingdom, with the participation of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, António Costa, until June 12.
The President of the Republic and the Prime Minister thus once again mark this date with the Portuguese emigrant communities, resuming a model that they launched together in 2016, interrupted in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: Observadora
