In statements to journalists in Barcelos, Braga district, during a lively campaign walk accompanied by drummers, Gouveia e Melo expressed that there is a “universe” separating him from José Sócrates.
“Mr. Engineer José Sócrates can vote for whoever he wants, I have nothing to do with it; it’s his choice. I did not seek his support and would do without it at this stage. I found the timing of this support truly very strange,” he said.
He stated that he cannot prevent people from supporting him but emphasized that nothing connects him to José Sócrates.
“I have already mentioned regarding some candidacies that an ocean separates me from them; from Engineer Sócrates, it is indeed the universe,” he said.
He added that his supporters would not feel uncomfortable with Sócrates’s announcement, “because they know that support was neither desired nor requested.”
“Therefore, it has nothing to do with me,” he further stated.
On Wednesday, in an interview on TVI, Sócrates announced he would vote for Gouveia e Melo.
On the same day, on the same channel, after a debate with fellow presidential candidate Jorge Pinto, Gouveia e Melo was prompted to comment on José Sócrates’s support and became irritated by the question.
Today, he confessed that when questioned, he was unaware of Sócrates’s interview and thus felt “surprised” and “annoyed.”
“I have to say it clearly because, during a presidential interview, they brought up a subject that seemed somewhat out of place,” he stated.
