“The possibility of withdrawal is completely out of the question. I also have the support of April’s military personnel, which I will make public in due time. Therefore, my candidacy, due to its purposes and the political space it proposes to occupy, does not fear any other candidacy and is not replaceable,” stated after being questioned about Vasco Lourenço’s appeal, who supports António José Seguro, for his withdrawal in the name of a left union in these presidential elections.
The presidential candidate supported by the PCP spoke to journalists after a meeting with AMPLOS – Association of Mothers and Fathers for Freedom of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, in Lisbon.
The PCP leader stated that he would proceed “regardless of the candidates that already existed” when he presented himself and of the “candidates that may come to exist,” explaining that he does not identify with the candidates “supported by political forces that have dominated politics in Portugal.”
António Filipe believes he has given many Portuguese a candidate to vote for whom they “did not have until then.”
“Those citizens who do not agree with how politics in Portugal has been conducted by the dominant political forces. Those who do not agree with that identify with my candidacy,” he added.
Regarding recent polls, which have not placed António Filipe among the favorites, he argued that they are “virtual exercises” and that his concern is with reality, stating that he has seen polls where “candidates appear who are not candidates” and that paying attention to them means “not paying attention to the realities of life.”
António Filipe also refused to associate the drop of the PCP in Sunday’s municipal elections with his presidential results, stating that this is an analysis to be made by analysts and that it is not the role of a presidential candidate to “analyze other types of elections.”
“No presidential candidate was a candidate in the municipal elections, and therefore, they are politically distinct realities, and I do not believe that any extrapolation can be drawn from the municipal elections regarding the presidential elections,” he argued.
In a space supporting LGB+ and Trans families, António Filipe emphasized the responsibilities of a President of the Republic in the “elimination of discrimination in Portuguese society” and expressed concern over signs of increasing intolerance influenced by the extreme right.
“In this sense, I believe that manifestations of intolerance and discrimination that arise in Portuguese society must be combated, and I think that this is a responsibility of those with public responsibilities,” he said.
