During a meeting in Braga, amidst the presentation of local candidates by Livre for the municipal elections on October 12th, Rui Tavares highlighted that Portugal’s political landscape is “very skewed” to the right.
The deputy emphasized that the upcoming presidential elections “are very important, especially at a time when the right is aiming to profoundly change” the Constitution and has the means to do so.
“For Portugal to rebalance its politics and return to a sensible policy that also helps to slightly cool national political tensions, we absolutely need a President from a progressive camp who defends the April 25th Constitution,” he stated.
Rui Tavares called for civil society candidates, even those independent of political parties, who could unite different sectors.
For the Livre leader, this is “the aspect that might allow the left to win the presidential elections” and “ensure that Portuguese politics is balanced again.”
Names such as António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Mário Centeno, Elisa Ferreira, or Helena Roseta were mentioned, although he did not confirm Livre’s support for any of them yet.
“However, I can mention other individuals with a significant track record in our civil society who advocate for crucial causes like cohesion, Europe, and housing,” Rui Tavares added.
He stressed the importance of supporting a unifying candidate.
“We are not in a position to divide efforts with each party having its own candidate, leading to a situation where no left-wing candidate reaches the second round or wins the elections,” he concluded.
