Portuguese president’s visit to Macau postponed to after the summer

Initially scheduled to take place as part of the celebration of June 10 – Day of Portugal, Camões, and Portuguese Overseas Communities – the visit of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to Macau has been postponed until after the summer, the Portuguese Consul General, Alexandre Leitão, confirmed yesterday.

Speaking during a press conference organized by the consulate to present the program for the “June Month of Portugal” annual event, Leitão reaffirmed that the Portuguese president’s intention to visit Macau this year remains. Still, due to the current political situation in the country and the anticipated legislative elections, Rebelo de Sousa will not be able to participate in the June 10 celebrations, having postponed this visit to a date to be confirmed at a later stage.

“The president had previously chosen Macau as the location to celebrate June 10, but due to the current political situation, he cannot travel, but will come at a later time within the second semester of this year,” Leitão said.

“This has to do with the [legislative] election and the legal compliance regarding all the follow-up work after the election, the appointment of the Prime Minister, and the taking office of a new government,” the official added.

Leitão also admitted that due to this absence, some sections of the initial plan for the June 10 celebration program have been halted and will also be held at a later time, when Rebelo de Sousa visits Macau.

For the time being, there is no exact date for this visit, but the Consul General reaffirmed that it would not be before September.