Formal ‘sittings’ underway against noisy backdrop
Parliament is marking the 49th anniversary of the April 25 revolution against a noisy backdrop of unrest and discontentment.
While teachers threaten “the largest April 25 demo this century” later this afternoon, there are no less than three protests planned for the morning.
Inside the parliamentary building, the early part of the day’s agenda was overshadowed by a protest by CHEGA MPs, who held up signs proclaiming “Enough corruption!” and “banged their lecterns” as Brazilian president Lula da Silva prepared to make his ‘departure speech’ before moving on with his very large delegation of ministers to Spain, where he will take part in a business forum and various engagements much as he did during his days here.
Parliamentary speaker Augusto Santos Silva berated CHEGA’s actions and later apologised profusely to Lula da Silva for CHEGA’s actions – but they had always been the risk of this particularly invitation to the Brazilian head of State.
While in Portugal, Lula da Silva showed no interest in uniting his country, explains Correio da Manhã’s editorial director Carlos Rodrigues. “In fact the many words of Lula da Silva in Portugal are worrying for the future of Brazil”, Rodrigues opines. “Lula said he is in his post only because “democracy finally won”. He referred to the “stupidity that governed the country” before he was voted in for this second term as the country’s president. Bearing in mind the voting was ‘neck-and-neck’ in the elections last year, these statements may well have left a large portion of the country feeling insulted.
CHEGA’s ‘outrage’ has its own specifics – but the hostile reception was certainly one of the low points of April 25 commemorations in recent years.
According to Santos Silva, CHEGA has “ashamed Portugal”.
The parliamentary leader hasn’t given an opinion on the other protests scheduled for today.
