The former leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL) and MEP, João Cotrim Figueiredo, stated on Wednesday that with his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic, he aims to be a “beacon of reference” and “show a certain path” to Portugal.
“I believe that any President of the Republic should be a beacon for the people who elect him, and even for those who don’t, and for the governors he will have to work with. A beacon in the sense of being a reference and showing a certain path,” he said, in an interview with SIC Notícias, arguing that there is a need for awareness that Portugal, Europe, and the world will undergo significant changes in the coming years.
Regarding expectations for the 2026 Presidential elections, Cotrim Figueiredo acknowledged that he would be “quite dissatisfied” if he received a percentage lower than in the European elections, where the Liberal Initiative received 9.26% of the votes.
“The only thing I can say at this moment is that, with the candidates we know, I wouldn’t be satisfied if I had a percentage lower than those nine and something percent,” he emphasized.
The liberal stated he has the support of the IL but recognized that “no party in the Portuguese party system” is “in a position to support” his candidacy, which “makes the voter’s choice a bit more difficult.”
“If I were on the other side of the barricade, on the Left, I would be much more concerned about the difficulty of finding candidates on the Left than having too many candidates on the Right,” he remarked.
He expressed confidence in winning the votes of young people and small entrepreneurs, defending that it is necessary to “welcome and cherish those who keep the country running day to day and who receive very little recognition.”
“No one is pointing to this audience of Portuguese people with the clarity with which I am, those wanting to create a truly different, more modern, and more open Portugal,” he said.
And he added: “I know I will be competing for votes with others (…). But I don’t see competition in this segment.”
Cotrim Figueiredo admitted that “four months ago” he wasn’t thinking of running for Presidency of the Republic but ended up feeling a “huge solidarity with a large group of people who don’t identify with any of the candidates.”
“These people are particularly the younger ones, particularly the more dynamic ones, particularly those who want to create a much more modern and open country,” he exemplified.
Candidates to Criticize Fire Management? “Sectoral Policies Should Not Be Discussed in Public”
Questioned about the issue of fires in Portugal, whose management has led to criticism from presidential candidates Henrique Gouveia e Melo and António José Seguro on Wednesday, the MEP stated that “sectoral policies should not be discussed in public.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to comment on cases of sectoral policies, whatever they may be, when the issues are particularly pressing,” he stated.
Nevertheless, he admitted that “80% of what was said” about what to do “to ensure Pedrógão never happens again was never done.” “We still do not know who owns almost half of the country’s forest lands,” he said.
Cotrim Figueiredo Wants to Make a “More Inclusive Campaign”
João Cotrim de Figueiredo announced his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic on Wednesday night.
“I can announce that yes, I am a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic in the elections that will take place in 2026,” announced João Cotrim Figueiredo, in an interview with SIC, adding that he wants to make a “more inclusive campaign” beyond the IL, and “open it to everyone who can imagine a different Portugal from what it is today.”
Cotrim Figueiredo stated that he received “hundreds of messages from people from many parties,” encouraging him to move forward and agree that “this could be much better and different.”
In the last presidential elections, in January 2021, the candidate supported by IL, Tiago Mayan Gonçalves, finished in sixth place with 3.22% and 134,000 votes.
For these presidential elections, the current IL leader, Mariana Leitão, had already announced a candidacy for Belém, which she later withdrew to run for the party’s presidency.
So far, the former PSD president, Luís Marques Mendes, the former Chief of the Navy, Admiral Gouveia e Melo, the former Secretary-General of the PS António José Seguro, and the former PCP deputy António Filipe have formalized their intention to run in the January 2026 presidential elections.
