The photo of the Portuguese president in the supermarket that surprises the rest of the world more than Portugal

There is no one more popular in Portugal than its president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, The Professor. Since he won the election by an absolute majority in January 2016, his popularity has never waned. His formula is to act as he is: a politician to give hugs, talk to everyone and agree with the people. His electoral campaign was the cheapest of all and his team fit in a car that was frequently driven by his son.

He has never inhabited the Belem Palace, seat of the country's presidency, as he prefers to remain in his house of a lifetime in Cascais. There every day -except during the pandemic- it is hot or cold, he takes a bath at 8 in the morning and dries calmly in the sand while tourists or local youth take the opportunity to take a selfie. Usually it is Rebelo de Sousa himself who takes the phone number of the fans to take the photograph, since he is the one who has the most practice. In Portugal it is said that, after five years, all Portuguese must already have a photo with their president.

Last Saturday he went to buy. Maybe he was missing bifidus yogurts, which he loves, or maybe he was missing laundry detergent. So he got in line for Continente (the supermarket chain), with his mask and his light blue swimsuit, one of his favorites. His presence did not cause any surprise among the citizens, accustomed to this type of behavior by Marcelo de Sousa, today in a queue at the supermarket, yesterday serving homeless meals, although he does seem to have surprised abroad. The image has been widely reproduced on Twitter.

things that are only seen in Portugal: o Presidente da República na fila do supermarket kkkk pic.twitter.com/0q9HyZaeZJ

Spanish networks have been particularly surprised that a president can make the purchase of this stew. This tweet, for example, got thousands of retweets and reactions in a few hours, the vast majority from Spain. Many others have taken up the image in the last hours, accumulating reactions.

This man in shorts and with a mask, queuing at the Supermarket, is Marcelo Rebelo Sousa, the President of #Portugal pic.twitter.com/eyNhDbxU6c

# COVID19 Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal. Physical distance, mask. Bravo! https://t.co/dVZ9GLc7qV

When politicians are people and not characters.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal: flag-pt :. One more citizen. pic.twitter.com/bH17DC81Al

It is Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal. This weekend I was shopping in a supermarket in Cascáis. With a mask, adequate distance, no security ... I was lucky to interview him and he is so close, simple and polite that he seems like a politician from another planet. pic.twitter.com/odGpSroy5t

Founder of the PSD center party, a Catholic, a supporter of the Braga football club, a commentator on television gatherings, Rebelo de Sousa will decide in the fall whether to run for reelection, rather than assured, or if he retires to fulfill one of his promises : assist patients in hospice palliative care.

President of Portugal be like pic.twitter.com/bVFsncu5M6

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