In Albufeira, a region pivotal to Chega’s campaign and where IL is not in coalition with PSD/CDS, dividing the moderate right-wing vote for the municipal elections on October 12, Mariana Leitão rejected any agenda based on “exploiting others’ despair,” emphasizing that her party is not anti-system but rather critical of the lack of solutions for people’s issues.
“We are not anti-system; we want a system that truly works for people,” stated Mariana Leitão to journalists in Paderne, a parish in Albufeira, “we are a democratic party with strong convictions, bringing something very important that is often missing in other parties: solutions that work, proposals grounded in facts, data, and concrete elements.”
The trend of voting for extremist parties in Algarve, where Chega has won the last two legislative elections, is due to “people’s despair” and their “significant disillusionment and discouragement,” she argued.
“We are offering a genuine alternative to voters, providing a project with solutions to address their issues and a method to counter populism, which takes advantage of people’s despair but ultimately offers nothing tangible,” said Mariana Leitão regarding Albufeira’s candidacy.
IL claims to have “concrete solutions,” and for Albufeira, the strategy is to stand independently at the polls, even if it means losing moderate right-wing votes.
“We are not here with political tactics; we are genuinely convinced that we have a project meeting people’s needs,” she stated, noting that “change can only occur through voting.”
However, “the vote needs to be cast for those who can deliver solutions and have the courage to implement them, not merely as a protest or out of despair,” Mariana Leitão warned.
Mariana Leitão expressed confidence that the Iniciativa Liberal could encourage people to vote based on conviction in their proposals and solutions, rather than out of discouragement or disbelief.
Today, Mariana Leitão participated in a lunch in Albufeira, as the IL national caravan closed its visit to Algarve in Paderne, at the former Algarve Ceramics Factory facilities, a property bought by the local council that was once considered for a school and is now rumored to become a dinosaur-related tourist site.
“In the meantime, it remains neglected,” she stated, insisting that “what is needed is something genuinely beneficial for people.”
The liberal leader highlighted that IL, fielding manager Miguel Matias for the council candidacy, aims to transform the old factory into a “technological and industrial hub to attract investment, create more jobs, and also address housing, another issue we face here in Albufeira.”
