“The same court that, for instance, instructed us, the RIR party, to correct two candidate declarations because they were missing the full postal code, accepts lists that do not comply with the parity law. Therefore, it is very serious; it seems to the Portuguese that some can do everything while others cannot,” Márcia Henriques told journalists.
The president of RIR spoke during a campaign event at the Municipal Market of Torres Vedras, in the Lisbon district.
“I find it strange that the President of the Republic and the Attorney General of the Republic remain silent, as this conveys insecurity, a lack of legality, and justice,” she added.
Reports indicate that Chega’s lists for the emigration circles violate the parity law, yet the Lisbon Court did not identify any irregularities, and since there was no appeal, the lists were maintained.
Aiming to increase RIR’s votes, Márcia Henriques handed out leaflets and engaged in conversations with those she encountered at the market stalls.
“This is where we find more people and can have closer contact with them,” she acknowledged.
At the same time and place, the campaign teams of RIR, CDU, and AD crossed paths, with the expectation that later in the day, many would focus on the football derby between Benfica and Sporting, which could be decisive.
While some attendees dismissed the propaganda, even mistaking it for other campaigns due to similar colors, others requested a pen for their collection, to which the candidate responded by handing out a pencil.
A vegetable vendor prominently displayed a leaflet on her stall, alongside those of other campaigns that also passed by.
When asked, “Do you know who you’ll vote for?” she noted encountering “many undecided” voters, a week before the elections, advising them that “the important thing is to go there” to vote on the election day.
One of her priorities is to invest in public transport.
“We cannot push for an abrupt energy transition when many Portuguese need to use a car daily,” she warned, citing the example of the Oeste region, about an hour from Lisbon.
“It is very difficult for people who want to leave big cities to move further away to afford a lower rent, for example, but then they can’t get to work because public transport does not meet their needs.”
In the 2024 legislative elections, RIR was the second most voted party among those without parliamentary seats, receiving 26,121 votes (0.40%).
