In an interview, the presidential candidate supported by the PS refrains from evaluating the terms of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa but distinguishes himself from the current President of the Republic on several key issues that have shaped recent years in Belém.
He stated, “I want it to be the last of the last resorts, so it should be used when it results in a greater good for the country,” when asked about the use of the so-called ‘atomic bomb’ of dissolving parliament.
Seguro does not believe that a rejection of the State Budget “necessarily implies a dissolution of parliament,” as happened in 2021 with António Costa’s government.
“I don’t want to be a reactive president or one who threatens publicly. I want to be an active president (…) and for that, it’s necessary to talk a lot with political actors, with party leaders,” he expressed.
The former PS leader anticipates that, with him, there will be “less president on the news but more president doing what should be done.”
In response to whether he would swear in a government led by Chega following a potential victory by André Ventura’s party in legislative elections, Seguro reiterates his stance of not “replacing the courts” since they verify the constitutionality and legality of parties.
“I do not engage in constitutional coups. A democrat, I am a democrat, respects the voice of the people. So the people tell me one thing, and I do another in the Presidency of the Republic? That would betray the trust contract I want to have with the Portuguese,” he justified.
When asked if he finds his election more difficult, given that the right won the recent legislative and municipal elections, the former PS leader argued that “democracies always live with balances” and that these “emerge in different ways,” believing that “the country needs a unifying, inclusive president who knows how to listen to everyone.”
“I feel free, I feel unshackled, I am absolutely dependent on no one. No one gives me any orders, and if some think they can make statements to capture me, they are mistaken. I am here standing firm like granite,” he stated.
When asked why he does not identify as left-wing, the PS-backed candidate, who led the party from 2011 to 2014, responded with a question: “Does my political career leave any doubts about what I have done in life, about my origins?”
“Now, I am in a different position, not in the partisan struggle. That is for party life, for leaders, and for legislative elections. I am running for President of the Republic, addressing all Portuguese without exception, without any discrimination,” he explained.
Faced with persistent inquiries about his position outside the left-wing and the support he receives from the center and right, the presidential candidate stated, “Portuguese political life is too shelved and boxed in, and there are labels for everything.”
“‘Isms’ and ‘ists’ are claustrophobic, in my view, so I prefer values. Why? Values unite, labels divide,” he emphasized, lamenting “a certain addiction to a certain political intrigue of a bubble that does not understand the country.”
A priority for his first year in office, should he be elected, has been clearly defined.
“The first year of my presidency will have this priority: Health for all. Save the National Health Service,” he declared, through demanding a regime pact.
Demography, the impacts of artificial intelligence, and housing will also be priorities, he added.
