“No, it doesn’t affect my candidacy. I think it’s very necessary. I believe the set of candidates previously was particularly dull. André Ventura may be accused of many things, but dullness is not one of them. So, I think it contributes to what I want to be a much more lively campaign,” declared Cotrim de Figueiredo today.
The liberal presidential candidate, speaking on the sidelines of a party municipal presentation in Espinho, stated that possible voter divisions do not concern him in the least and that he finds “these somersaults, these turnarounds” amusing.
“The last time I heard André Ventura talk more seriously about the presidency, if you can call it serious, it was when he said he felt the only suit that fit him properly was the suit of the prime minister. So, I don’t know if he’s gained weight, lost weight, changed tailors, or is looking for another suit,” he joked.
The liberal candidate, who claimed to have been prepared for a candidacy from the leader of Chega when he offered himself for the presidency, believes that André Ventura does not reduce his chances of reaching a second round.
“It’s necessary to put truly serious topics on the table and get Portugal out of this dullness. If André Ventura helps with that aspect, I’m quite happy that he, Catarina Martins, and others come forward, making the campaign interesting, as so far it has been quite a bore,” he said.
When asked whether Rui Moreira’s decision to withdraw from the race for Belém could earn him more votes, Cotrim de Figueiredo expressed his desire to understand what led to that decision, considering it “important” for his “perception in political analysis.”
Regarding a lunch between candidate Gouveia e Melo and André Ventura, facilitated by Mário Ferreira and reported by the newspaper Público, the liberal commented that it allows “Portuguese people to clearly understand that none of these gentlemen is exactly what they claim to be.”
“For someone who claims to be outside the system – such as Admiral Gouveia e Melo – and for someone who is so anti-system – like André Ventura – to be engaging in this conciliation with the sponsorship of major media shareholders, I regret to say it is a contradiction,” he remarked.
