Former President of the Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, warned about the “political manipulation” of the demonstrations for housing, which took place several weeks ago, during yesterday’s Council of State, Monday. Most counselors, however, did not align with this vision.
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03/11/2026
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News to Minutes
O Council of State, which happened yesterday, Monday, was described as “serene” and “civilized”, having talked about the demonstrations for housing that took place several weeks ago in several cities, but with greater prominence in Lisbon and Porto.
According to the weekly ExpressIn general, state advisers will have agreed that it is not sustainable to maintain the situation as it is.
The same means, which quotes sources, states that the former President of the Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, stressed that the State can't back out in police action, following the demonstrations, defending the action of the PSP and the authority of the state.
O Observer, also quoting sources, indicates that Cavaco Silva will have made a “very strong” intervention, having warned the “political manipulation” of the demonstrations by groups of the radical left and “lack of respect for the authorities”.
The Ombudsman, Luísa Neto, has opted for a “serene” intervention, focusing on the “sociological” perspective of the issue, reports the Express.
The same medium underlines that the state councilors were mostly on the side of the President of the Republic, noting that the mayors of Lisbon and Porto, Carlos Coins and Pedro Duarte, respectively, also positioned themselves more alongside António José Seguro regarding the need to strengthen the dialogue.
It should be noted that the Council of State meeting, which took place on Monday, ended after about five hours and had social cohesion as its central theme.
On the table were the “structural challenges of the country”, particularly “in the areas of inequality, territorial cohesion and access to essential goods such as housing, education and health”.
“The Council of State, meeting under the presidency of His Excellency the President of the Republic, on November 2, 2026, in the Palace of Bethlehem, had as its theme the ‘Social Cohesion’. The State Councillors were listened to on the paths they consider appropriate for strengthening social cohesion, as a condition for responding to the country's structural challenges, particularly in the areas of inequality, territorial cohesion and access to essential goods such as housing, education and health ", contextualized the Presidency of the Republic, in a statement.
The same note pointed out that “the President of the Republic valued the contributions made by the State Councillors, who enriched the reflection on this subject, reaffirming the importance of social cohesion to citizens’ confidence in democratic institutions”.
It should be stressed that the missive did not include any mention of the demonstrations for the right to housing in which police charges were repeated in both Lisbon and Porto.
The meeting started at 3:10 p.m., with four absences, after António José Seguro met with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro at lunch. The weekly meeting with the head of government usually takes place on Tuesdays, but was anticipated.
According to the Presidency of the Republic, the former President of the Republic António Ramalho Eanes, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the President of the Regional Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, and Counsellor Maria do Carmo Fonseca were absent from the meeting.
Police charge? Insurance asked for clarifications
On Sunday, the Head of State requested detailed clarifications from the Government and the Ombudsman's Office following new police charges on protesters for the right to housing in Lisbon and Porto.
Already on Monday morning, António José Seguro stressed the right of demonstration, reaffirmed that violence “is not part of the Portuguese democratic culture” and promised that he will not give up “ways of dialogue and common sense”, in statements to journalists, at the exit of the Euro-America Forum in Carcavelos, in the municipality of Cascais.
The President of the Republic has called for understandings between the PSD/CDS-PP government and opposition to short- and long-term solutions to housing problems and has called the ten parties with parliamentary seats for hearings on social cohesion, which took place last Thursday.