On Wednesday evening, the president of the republic felt that politicians were plagued by the Covid-19 pandemic and that there should be room for renewal in the political system.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa made this assessment of the political situation in a special edition of Circulatura do Quadrado on TVI24, in which he refused to speak publicly about the need or not to reform the PS minority government led by Antonio Costa. …

In this live broadcast from Palais Belém in Lisbon, in which he participated as a guest, the head of state called poverty “the most worrying reality in the medium term” and highlighted the need to “increase investment” in primary health care.

“The entire health and welfare structure is fundamental. There is also a need to rethink welfare and responsiveness – and institutions have already recognized this – because the model, as learned, will have to differ in some aspects of its functioning, ”he said, without going into details. details.

The President of the Republic said that the current social crisis will only be resolved if Portugal grows “much more” than it grows, and thus gains “competitiveness in terms of human resources with other countries and societies.”

“In fact, this means that the political system is capable of renewing political actors and economic and social partners to address more serious problems,” he argued, noting that “partners and protagonists were also plagued by the pandemic.”

When asked if he felt that the government was tired, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied that it was not for him to “do this political analysis,” although he could “do it for himself” and “use it and think about it when he listens. political parties ”- as happened this week, from Monday to Wednesday.

The President of the Republic reiterated that “it is good to have a zone of strong power,” and at the same time, “it is important to have a zone of opposition that asserts itself as an alternative and that is also constantly gaining strength and opportunities. enter the Portuguese spirit “, as well as avoid the” voids “that” inorganic movements “provide, and came to the conclusion that this task” depends on the main characters. “

“It’s easy to say, difficult to do because the pandemic is depleting,” he said.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlighted the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people in general, saying that it has left “many of them malnourished” and that it represents “a reformulation of personal projects, but also institutional projects.”

When asked whether, in his opinion, it is necessary to reconstruct the executive branch, he replied: “This is something that the president should never assume clearly, clearly or without clarity. If necessary, you can suggest this in a conversation with the Prime Minister. It shouldn’t be in public. “

“As you understand, in a conversation with the Prime Minister – and the conversation takes place once a long week and almost every day of different lengths – emerging problems are investigated. But who should take the initiative is the prime minister who is the best judge, ”he continued.

“The Prime Minister knows much better what is happening or not from the point of view of the government, and therefore he should be a judge in this area,” he stressed.