In a little-publicised cameo playing out last week, former environment minister Jorge Moreira da Silva told Antena 1 radio that he is “absolutely certain” that PSD leader Pedro Passos Coelho will return to the fore as prime minister of this country.
With behind the scenes machinations pointing to the eventual substitution of Passos Coelho in a not-too-distant-future – and the week’s news focusing much more on da Silva’s predecessor finally recognising the historic heritage of battling islanders in Ria Formosa – it was possibly a last-ditch attempt at support which the outgoing PSD MP admits he can no longer give as he sets off for Paris where he is likely to remain working at his new post as director general of the OECD for the next decade.
Certainly social media in Portugal gave the interview short-shrift.
Posted João Camargo – a regular contributor to national media across the board – “From the star that brought us horror films like “Oil exploration in Portugal, Death from the Deep” and “Half the Algarve for Sousa Cintra”, we now have a new masterpiece: “Passos Coelho: Prime Minister II: The Return”.
Comments ranged from people expressing fear and trepidation, to those who said da Silva was jumping the gun: “Halloween isn’t until Monday”.
