AP TELEVISION 1. Pan left of Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, arriving for news conference 2. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) Anibal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese President: "To begin now an electoral process could mean a step back in what has been achieved and a new financial assistance programme could become necessary." 3. Close up of cameraman 4. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) Anibal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese President: "The country urgently needs a middle term agreement among the parties that signed the agreement with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund - the PSD (Social Democratic Party), the PS (Socialist Party) and the CDS (Popular Party) - that's the way we can get through this together. I will give my strong support to such agreement that - in the current emergency situation - truly represents a commitment to national 'salvation'." 5. Wide of Cavaco Silva speaking 6. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) Anibal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese President: "The commitment to national salvation has to involve the three parties that signed the bailout agreement, guaranteeing to take the necessary measures for the return of Portugal to the markets at the beginning of 2014 and to fulfil successfully the adjustment programme that we made with our creditors." 7. Close up of photographer 8. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) Anibal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese President: "The agreement has to set the most suitable date for early elections. The opening of the electoral process has to coincide with the end of the financial assistance programme in June next year." 9. Wide of Cavaco Silva speaking 10. Pan right as Cavaco Silva is leaving and door shuts behind him 11. Wide front of presidential palace 12. Close up of Portuguese flag 13. Mid of guards in front of the presidential palace STORYLINE: Portugal's President said on Wednesday that he rejected opposition parties' demands for early elections. Anibal Cavaco Silva appealed to all the main parties to put aside their differences and find a broad compromise that would spare the Portuguese from needing a second financial rescue. In a 30-minute televised broadcast to the nation in a prime-time evening slot, Cavaco Silva said that he is keeping faith with the bailed-out country's troubled coalition government, as elections: "could mean a step back in what has been achieved and a new financial assistance programme could become necessary." The government came close to collapse last week when the two coalition partners disagreed over the scale of austerity measures. The finance and foreign ministers resigned, triggering what the President called "a grave political crisis" over the past 10 days. He urged the three parties which signed the 2011 bailout agreement - the Social Democratic Party, the main opposition Socialist Party and the smaller Popular Party - which are in government and which were in power at the time of the bailout, to find common ground and reach to a compromise. The dispute cast doubt on Portugal's ability to comply with the debt-cutting demands of a 78 (b) billion Euro (100 (b) billion US Dollar) bailout it received two years ago. Other countries using the euro currency worried that Portugal's difficulties could hurt the bloc's efforts to escape its prolonged financial crisis. The head of state, though he has no executive power, is charged by the Constitution with ensuring the country has a stable government. Cavaco Silva spent three days consulting with political parties, business leaders, labour groups and economists before announcing his decision on Wednesday. The President said that part of the agreement should include new elections only after the bailout programme finishes in June 2014. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f0f354c8606473768189a2df14841bf2 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 31 Jul 2015
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