In a brief statement at the Teatro Thalia in Lisbon, the venue chosen by Livre for its election night headquarters, Isabel Mendes Lopes criticized Manuel Pizarro of PS for rejecting a left-wing alliance in Porto, suggesting he “must regret” this decision after some polls indicated a slight lead for the social democrat Pedro Duarte.
The parliamentary leader highlighted that the party approached these elections with a “variable geometry” strategy, forming coalitions in 25 out of 49 candidacies, a strategy she claims was “successful in Coimbra,” as various projections forecast a victory for socialist Ana Abrunhosa (PS, Livre, and PAN coalition).
“According to projections, Ana Abrunhosa has a clear victory, and the projections suggest that our councilor, Clara Cruz Santos, has a chance of being elected, which would be very important for us,” she emphasized.
Regarding the other two municipalities where Livre participated in a coalition aiming “with a clear objective to win,” Lisbon and Sintra, Isabel Mendes Lopes noted that they are “in a technical tie.”
“We will carefully follow the next developments. We must wait for the results because, in truth, nothing is decided yet,” she stated.
Livre entered a coalition with PS in Sintra to support former minister Ana Mendes Godinho and in Lisbon, allied with PS, BE, and PAN, in a list led by socialist Alexandra Leitão.
When asked if she interpreted the forecasts not predicting Chega leading as many municipalities as André Ventura’s party expected as a good sign, Isabel Mendes Lopes said that Livre will wait for the final results.
However, she added, “it will always be good news if the legislative results do not translate into the municipal results.”
The parliamentary leader praised the campaign led by Hélder Sousa in Porto, suggesting that even without election success, “the growth of Livre in Porto will be very important for the party’s consolidation.”
“The same goes for a series of our own candidacies presented across the country, whether in Setúbal, Faro, or Braga, candidacies of which we are very proud and that are consolidating Livre as a municipal party wanting to make a difference locally as well,” she emphasized.
[Updated at 9:30 PM]
