“I am politically responsible, that’s why I wrote to foreign heads on behalf of the Portuguese State,” exemplified the president, adding that “to effect responsibility it is necessary to have the full report, but that it exists in principle, yes.”
“Those who are at the head of a public institution respond politically … for what happens less well in this institution, even without any fault, even without any intervention.”he reiterated.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that political responsibility, “if it is an elective position, is before voters”, so, At a time when the country is a little over a month from municipalities, the opportunity “that voters speak up” arises.The municipal elections will give “those who have to decide the possibility of the fault not dying single,” said the president.
The head of state also said he understood the position of the president of Carris when he made the place available “because today, in Portuguese law (…), the simple fact of a public institution in its operation (…) determining consequences of this gravity determines an objective legal responsibility”.
However, he pointed out that the initial report on derailment “is careful to say that there are many doubts and many clues to develop until the report promised for 45 days.”
According to this report, with the elements available so far It is not possible to determine the responsibility of people or organizations.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also pointed to the fact that the document questioned “why was it released, at the point of fixing a cabin, the cable” or “why the redundancy does not exist or did not work” when the two braking systems were triggered.
The president also transmitted his condolences to the families and friends of the Portuguese victims, as well as the heads of state of the countries where foreign victims were original.
The Glory Elevator in Lisbon derailed Wednesday at 18h00, making 16 deadly victims and several injured. The government decreed a day of national mourning on Thursday and the Lisbon Chamber decided to adopt three days of municipal mourning.
