The Communist António Filipe has been announced as a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, as declared on Saturday by Paulo Raimundo, the secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).
Speaking to journalists in Lisbon, Paulo Raimundo clarified that the Central Committee had decided on António Filipe’s candidacy “unanimously.”
“Due to his characteristics and the project he embodies, António Filipe is the unifying candidate for all who identify with the Constitution, regardless of their political and party opinions and positions. He is the candidate of hope for workers, democrats, patriots, women, and young people fighting for a fairer, more sovereign, and developed Portugal,” Raimundo emphasized.
He underlined that António Filipe is a “candidate committed to a struggle that, in these times, is even more necessary and urgent,” a struggle “where the interests of the vast majority of the people confront the minority who think they own everything.”
This new candidacy not only increases the number of candidates for the Presidency but also reinforces the presence of the Left in this race.
This month marked an ‘opening’ to candidates from this spectrum, with António José Seguro announcing at the beginning of June his decision to run for the Presidency: “I decided and announce today, on the day a new legislature begins that will demand a lot from all of us: I am a candidate for President of the Republic,” the former secretary-general of the Socialist Party stated.
Last week also saw a ‘no’ from António Vitorino, another center-left name considered for the position. The socialist argued that “there should be only one candidate in this political area” and that his [potential] candidacy “did not reach consensus” to stand alone. The former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs noted that this does not mean there won’t be another socialist candidacy. “We are still seven months away from the electoral event,” he reminded.
He might have predicted the situation, as after his withdrawal, former minister Augusto Santos Silva expressed regret over his decision and mentioned he would consult people whose opinions he “esteems” regarding the possibility of entering the race for Belém. The former Vice-President of the Assembly of the Republic intends to announce his decision this week: “If all goes normally, considering my professional obligations, I plan to publicly communicate the decision I will make next Wednesday, July 2.”
Currently, the candidates who have announced their run for Belém are António José Seguro, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Luís Marques Mendes, and Joana Amaral Dias.
In the 2021 presidential elections, the PCP supported the candidacy of the communist leader João Ferreira, who obtained fourth place with 4.33%, 179,496 votes, behind the candidacies of Chega’s president André Ventura, socialist Ana Gomes, and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, supported by PSD and CDS, who won in the first round with 60.76%.
Despite this, João Ferreira outperformed the Left Bloc leader Marisa Matias, who secured 3.93%, and the then Liberal Initiative candidate, Tiago Mayan Gonçalves, with 3.20%.
[Updated at 5:14 PM]
