During a campaign dinner in Santa Maria da Feira, located in the district of Aveiro, Rui Rocha began by associating the Chega party with the left, before making an appeal to the over one million voters who had previously supported André Ventura’s party in the last legislative elections.
“I know there are many angry Portuguese citizens, but there is a choice for those who have been dissatisfied with the political leadership that has taken responsibility in recent years. They can choose to remain angry and make decisions that lead to no solution, or they can choose to empower the Liberal Initiative (IL) in the next election,” Rocha declared.
Rui Rocha described the IL as “the force of change, the force of reformism,” promising that it will ensure that Portuguese people “will be less angry in the future.”
“Because if everything remains the same, with the same political alignments and the left that has been in power, anger will only increase. But if we change, if we have the courage to say that the IL has the capability, the people, the vision, and the courage, the country will indeed change. It will move forward, and there will be fewer angry Portuguese in the future,” he predicted.
Before Rui Rocha, Mário Amorim Lopes, the IL’s top candidate in the district of Aveiro, addressed the audience. In his speech, he advocated for the liberalization of the railway sector and criticized the general secretary of the Socialist Party (PS), Pedro Nuno Santos, who accused the IL of posing a danger to the country.
“What is truly dangerous is this path of stagnation that Portugal is on. It’s a serious threat for a country that does not grow, that does not provide conditions for its young people to stay, that fails to offer adequate pensions for its retirees,” he stated.
Mário Amorim Lopes highlighted that Portugal “is a country lacking in opportunities, access to healthcare, and good educational conditions.”
“This is the real danger, and the IL is here precisely to address it. That is our great mission. Therefore, the only peril is continuing down the path of stagnation. As far as we are concerned, Pedro, this will be resolved, and we will accelerate the country,” he promised.
