Luís Montenegro issued a call to action from Largo da Porta Nova in Barcelos, within the district of Braga, after walking several hundred meters through the Festa das Cruzes. He was warmly welcomed by supporters of the AD coalition, composed of PSD and CDS members.
Earlier in the day, during another regional fair in Bragança, the Prime Minister reiterated his message against voter abstention, amid polling data showing the AD coalition leading.
“In the next 15 days, we must not waste a second. We need to garner as many votes as possible. We need a larger majority to continue governing Portugal, for the good of everyone,” he stated. He made no further political remarks while in Barcelos.
For about 45 minutes, Luís Montenegro walked approximately 800 meters accompanied by his wife, CDS-PP leader Nuno Melo, the mayor Mário Constantino, and PSD’s secretary-general Hugo Soares.
Upon his arrival, he was presented with a traditional Barcelos rooster inscribed with “AD 2025,” and soon after, he joined the Festa das Cruzes, recognized as the first major pilgrimage of Minho. On Saturday, this event involved a procession of crosses that traversed the 89 parishes of the municipality during Easter.
Amidst the crowd eager to greet or take photos with him, Montenegro was approached multiple times by individuals expressing concerns over low pensions.
“I worked in France, and after 42 years, I receive a 500-euro pension,” lamented one man, while another woman further along expressed frustration over “five years without raises.”
“We are now consistently increasing pensions,” responded Montenegro, who is vying for re-election. He noted that the PSD/CDS-PP government has already raised the Solidarity Complement for the Elderly twice.
Much of the walk was filled with encouraging words and assurances of victory on May 18, with sentiments like “You’re at home here,” and calls to say “no to Chega.”
Montenegro exchanged numerous kisses, posed for several selfies, and even took up serving two pints at the “Aunt Lurdes” snack stand.
The youth wings of the PSD and CDS-PP brought energy to the rally, even borrowing a chant from Sporting with altered lyrics: “Whenever Luís works, they fall.”
In closing, Luís Montenegro climbed onto the shoulders of young party members to bid farewell to Barcelos before heading to Lisbon for the debate with parliamentary parties on RTP at 9:30 PM. This debate cut short his campaign day, which began in Bragança.
