“Standing still in the current circumstances is equivalent to moving backward. And I think there is a lack of ambition in Portuguese politics in general,” said the candidate supported by Iniciativa Liberal (IL), speaking to journalists.
João Cotrim de Figueiredo was speaking at the headquarters of the Agricultural Association of the Island of São Miguel, in Rabo de Peixe, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, on the island of São Miguel, where he met with the leadership of the Azores Agricultural Federation.
A day after the British magazine The Economist described Portugal as the “economy of the year” for 2025 among the 36 richest countries in the world, the presidential candidate argued that Portugal needs greater ambition and a more open attitude to change.
“I won’t say it’s not pleasing. But I look beyond the headlines. I went to see exactly how the ‘ranking’ was done. We still have 10 to 11 countries ahead of us in terms of economic growth. We are indeed comparing ourselves to a group of European countries all in relative apathy. And the exceptions are countries that are recovering from a much deeper pandemic impact than others,” he said.
According to João Cotrim de Figueiredo, when the country does not prepare for changes occurring in Europe and the world, it fails to take advantage of the opportunities these changes bring.
For the candidate, it is up to a President of the Republic “to be the optimistic and confident reference” and to assume the role of a mobilizing voice to prevent the country from falling “into the stagnation of thinking that standing still is sufficient”.
The presidential candidate pointed to the health sector, recalling that many problems “are a consequence of issues that have been discussed for five years or more,” despite the sector’s budget being “significantly reinforced” during the same period.
“Over these five years, the Health budget has been significantly reinforced and it should be time to conclude that it is not a matter of throwing more money at the problem,” he argued, emphasizing the need for “a rigorous and consensual diagnosis” followed by solutions addressing the “root of the problems.”
Regarding the general strike on the 11th, Cotrim de Figueiredo reiterated that it is “a legitimate right of workers” but warned that the right to work must also be protected.
“It’s a legitimate right of workers,” but what “I haven’t seen sufficiently emphasized is that there are people who will stop working, even wanting to work, because they will not have transportation available and will not have a range of services at their disposal,” stressed the former IL leader and MEP.
“Therefore, both the right to strike is a legitimate right, as well as the right to work is also a legitimate right,” João Cotrim de Figueiredo emphasized, who today started a two-day visit to the island of São Miguel.
He argued, on the other hand, that if elected President of the Republic, the Azores “gain a great understanding of what the problems of peripheral regions are,” highlighting that this is a concern that has marked his role as an MEP.
“In my concept of society, it is up to the public authorities to open space, not to prevent, not to limit, not to obstruct. Then it is up to each of the voters, in this specific case of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, to decide what they want to do with that space that is given,” he said.
He also encouraged the Azoreans to believe in the region’s future: “There are excellent examples of modernization that the region has given and that, with the supports it obviously needs because of its geographical situation, it can do much more for its future than it has achieved so far,” he considered.
The presidential candidate also advocated the elimination of the position of Minister of the Republic.
“I believe that the President of the Republic, and I will be that President, is perfectly capable of performing the role that the Minister of the Republic represents. And, therefore, all matters of promulgation and verification and oversight of regional legislation can receive exactly the same treatment as national legislation,” he said.
Asked about the dinner with businesspeople on Terceira Island, which was scheduled to take place today but was canceled, causing criticism from the board of the Angra do Heroísmo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIAH), the candidate justified his absence due to scheduling issues and weather conditions affecting flight connections.
“The Azores are a region I particularly value. I can’t be everywhere. The campaign schedule is what it is. I ask for understanding and send a hug to Terceira. The entrepreneurs are not more dissatisfied than I am, but the schedule is what it is and the weather is what it is,” he said.
