Aximage's July survey for JN, DN, and TSF reveals an improvement in the President of the Republic's assessment, although below the water line, with 37% positive opinions and 53% negative opinions. At the same time, the Portuguese people's levels of trust in the Prime Minister are rising, now surpassing those of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa: 33% of Portuguese people trust Luís Montenegro more than the Head of State (27%).
In the May barometer, Marcelo had recorded the worst rating ever, after being involved in controversies such as when he called Luís Montenegro “rural” and António Costa “slow”, or when he said it was necessary to “pay the costs” of slavery and colonialism, in addition to the wear and tear of the twins' case. With the exception of voters from the Democratic Alliance (AD), whose positive evaluations of the President of the Republic reach 46%, it is right-wing voters who punish him the most, especially those from IL.
The choice of António Costa as president of the European Council is seen as positive for Portugal by 68% of Portuguese people, with emphasis on those who vote for the PS (93%), but also by AD voters (76%), while Chega (46 %) and IL (44%) are those who most frown on the choice. The role of the current prime minister in appointing his predecessor is also well regarded (70%), according to this month's survey.