“We have two days left, and we are going to win this election. Let nobody stay at home. Only the Socialist Party (PS) can bring stability to the country and a direction for Portugal,” urged Pedro Nuno Santos at the conclusion of the traditional procession through Chiado, Lisbon, addressing supporters from a small platform with the Rua Augusta arch as a backdrop.
The PS leader emphasized repeatedly for “no one to stay at home” to prevent the country from waking up on Monday to “a Government of the Democratic Alliance (AD) with the Liberal Initiative (IL),” which he described as a “radical government.”
“We need a serious Government, with serious politicians, a transparent Government that respects people and enables the country to move forward instead of backward,” he stated.
Pedro Nuno Santos continually insisted that the PS will win, but for that to happen, voter turnout is essential. He took advantage of the final campaign hours to make last-minute appeals for votes.
“On the 18th, we are going to win, we will defeat the AD and overcome the polls because the people will vote, and the PS will prevail,” he emphasized.
During the event, when questioned by journalists about the polls, he highlighted multiple times that polls were proven wrong in 2022 and last year. “Some of those samples, those polls, wouldn’t pass the first year of quantitative methods,” he joked.
In regard to the formation of a potential PS Government, Pedro Nuno Santos had previously mentioned having some ministers “in mind,” adding that his first action would be to resume the ongoing reform within the National Health Service (SNS) from the previous Socialist Government.
The socialist leader was frequently accompanied by Mariana Vieira da Silva, PS’s head of the list for Lisbon, and Alexandra Leitão, PS’s candidate for Lisbon City Council, along with former Assembly of the Republic President Ferro Rodrigues and former minister Duarte Cordeiro.
He described the gathering as “extraordinary,” emphasizing the significance of the “environment, the energy, and the joy of the people.”
Pedro Nuno Santos expressed gratitude for the encouraging words he received while greeting those on the streets, taking photographs, waving to people in windows, and, on Rua Augusta, enjoying a pastel de nata and a savory treat offered by local eateries.
Hundreds of people participated in this customary parade, waving many PS and Portuguese flags, carrying large red balloons, and releasing white and pink confetti, the colors of the PS, at strategic points, all while the campaign anthem played in the background accompanied by chants like “PS, PS, PS” or “The people will vote and PS will win.”
[Updated at 5:55 PM]
