Miguel A. Lopes / EPA
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and António José Seguro
A new president, a new style. Marcelo maintained his unpredictability on the day his successor took office.
This Monday was the day of the new President of the Republic, Antonio José Seguro.
As expected, the new head of state has a very different style from Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa: more discretion, more distance, even more caution.
Os journalists stayed longe throughout the day. All moments at the Belém Palace were reserved, the media remained at least 100 meters away. There was even a security bay to keep journalists away.
In the afternoon, Seguro had a meeting with young people at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon – journalists were also left out there – and said at the beginning: “I’m here to listen to you. Now calo-me“.
However, it describes the Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa remained silent, but not discreet.
When the now ex-president walked down the Belém ramp for the last time, he made a kind of heart with hands for young people from Penamacor.
And, on the day of his successor’s inauguration, in the morning Marcelo went to a supermarket, a stationery store and an antique store. With journalists always by his side, and always not knowing what would happen next (as happened so many times with Marcelo since 2016)
This was also the day when António José Seguro decorated Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa with the big necklace Order of Freedom.
The ceremony, without speeches, took place at the Ajuda National Palace and maintained the tradition started by Jorge Sampaio (who decorated Mário Soares), and continued with Cavaco-Sampaio and Marcelo-Cavaco.
José Pedro Aguiar-Branco and Luís Montenegro, among other guests, were present.
