
After speculation on Monday linking the Mayor of Porto to a potential candidacy for the 2026 presidential elections, Rui Moreira confirmed on Tuesday that he is considering entering the race for Belém. However, the mayor emphasized that he will not announce his decision “before September.”
“This decision is one I will make in the coming times and, in any case, will never announce before September,” he said, when questioned on CNN Portugal’s Crossfire program.
Despite stating in April during an Antena 1 interview that he did not see himself as “suited” for the role, Moreira noted that “several things have changed” since then.
“For more than 40 years, I have always held executive positions; whether in companies, the Porto Commercial Association where I was president for 12 years, or at the Porto City Council. At that time, I did not see myself executing a non-executive role, like the President of the Republic. There were also changes in the political spectrum; some candidacies moved forward, others did not, and a group of people who had been talking to me for a long time came to say that they thought it was a good time to consider a presidential candidacy. Therefore, it was based on that that I began to entertain this possibility,” he explained.
The Mayor of Porto also revealed that he has received expressions of support “from Minho to the Algarve, and also from the autonomous regions.” He reiterated, however, that no decision has been made yet.
“As I say, I will not announce anything in any case before September because I have to preside over the Porto City Council,” he said.
[News in the process of being updated]