Chapo attends investiture of new Portuguese president

Lisbon, 10 Mar (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday said he hoped that “the traditional and excellent relations” with Portugal will be strengthened under the new Portuguese President Antonio Seguro.

Speaking at the investiture of Seguro in Lisbon, Chapo said the relations between the two countries “are founded on historical and cultural factors and in defence of shared values, such as democracy, freedom, solidarity and peace”.

Seguro made his first speech as President earlier in the day in a solemn session of the Portuguese parliament. He stressed the presence at the investiture of five heads of state from other Portuguese-speaking countries – Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor and Sao Tome and Principe.

Their presence, Seguro said, symbolised the strength of the historical, cultural and economic ties “which unite our peoples and reaffirm the values of cooperation, friendship and dialogue that we share”.

He claimed that “in its diversity, the Portuguese speaking community shows that a common language can also be the sharing of a greater ambition in a world that increasingly needs understanding and peace”.

Seguro declared that climate change “imposes urgency and responsibility”.

“No country, however prepared it may be, can face this brutal reality on its own”, he said. “And the most vulnerable countries, even those most coveted because of their resources or geo-strategic positions, are not certain that they can count on the protection of the United Nations Charter and of international law”.

Portugal, Seguro said, is facing its own challenges, including insufficient economic growth, persistent inequalities, constant poverty, an ageing population, a shortage of labour, difficulties in access to health and housing, and lack of opportunities for young people.

On top of this came “the herculean reconstruction efforts” after the storms and floods that had struck much of Portugal earlier in the year.

“None of these challenges can be resolved by improvising”, stressed Seguro, “and with targets aimed at an electoral calendar of egotistical convenience”.

He said the electoral cycles that only last for two years, as Portugal has experienced recently “are not desirable”, and Seguro promised to do all in his power “to staunch this electoral frenzy”.

But that may not be very much, since the Portuguese presidency is not an executive post, and the best Seguro can hope to do is bring some influence to bear on the right wing coalition currently in government, headed by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

Seguro, who is a member of the Socialist Party, won the presidential election by what looked like a landslide, taking 67 per cent of the vote, to only 33 per cent for his sole opponent, Andre Ventura of the far right Chega party.

This victory, however, is due largely to the fact the parties of the governing rightist coalition opted not to stand a candidate.

Chapo declared that he had listened to Seguro’s speech to parliament “with joy and satisfaction”. He said he regarded Portugal as “a strategic partner of Mozambique”.

Chapo told the Portuguese broadcaster, RDP-Africa, that he hopes Seguro will visit Mozambique “as soon as possible”.
(AIM)
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