“I received Dr. António Vitorino’s decision with satisfaction, as it contributes to the union of the space of democracy and the space of this project, which is a project of progress, humanism, and affirmation of human values”, stated António José Seguro to journalists in Guimarães, Braga district, after meeting dozens of young people in a city garden.
With Vitorino out of the presidential race and former President of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva considering his candidacy, António José Seguro was asked if this paves the way for the Socialist Party to publicly support him.
“This is a suprapartisan candidacy. Therefore, all who come with good intentions, identifying with democracy and progressive values, are naturally welcome. The rest are decisions the parties have to make”, replied António José Seguro, adding that he feels comfortable in his current position.
“I feel very comfortable as I am, feeling more and more that my ideas resonate, even just now with these young people here in Guimarães, I feel very happy, there is adherence, enthusiasm, energy, and thus, my responsibility is to affirm the values of this candidacy, its purpose: to build a just and excellent country“, emphasized the presidential candidate.
The presidential candidate António José Seguro today advised “prudence” regarding the 5% GDP committed by Portugal to NATO for defense spending, emphasizing that “the country also has other needs”.
Lusa | 20:40 – 28/06/2025
Asked about Augusto Santos Silva’s statements, who believes he lacks the consensus within the PS and the necessary conditions for the presidency, Seguro replied: “Don’t tell me you wanted a President to be elected with 100% unanimity. That doesn’t exist in democracy”.
Asked whether he fears that a potential candidacy by Augusto Santos Silva could split the center-left electorate, jeopardizing his possible victory, António José Seguro chose not to respond.
“We spent an hour and a half talking about Portugal’s future with young people. They spoke about their problems, their aspirations, and above all, their dreams. It was gratifying to see that, and I won’t spoil this beautiful meeting with any more comments“, said Seguro, who also refused to comment on Santos Silva’s dual reflection.
On Friday, socialist Augusto Santos Silva stated that António Vitorino’s decision not to run for president requires “a new reflection” on his potential candidacy, announcing his decision next Wednesday.
The socialist asserts that “the three formally presented candidacies so far do not exhaust the political space or the proposals and profiles that should be represented in the presidential elections next January”.
Tomásia Sousa with Lusa | 15:26 – 27/06/2025
Former European Commissioner António Vitorino announced on Thursday night that he will not run in next year’s presidential elections, stating that his candidacy “did not gather the consensus” to be unique in his political area.
Socialist António Vitorino supported the idea of a single candidacy in the center-left but suggested there was still a long way to go—and that António José Seguro might not be the only candidate from this spectrum to advance.
Teresa Banha | 22:23 – 26/06/2025
