The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, announced on Thursday that he will not pursue a candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic.
“No, I will not be a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic,” he declared in an interview with SIC Notícias.
Moreira explained that the “possibility” of running emerged in July when he was approached by “a large group of people,” some of whom were “disappointed with the direction of Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo’s candidacy,” while others were dissatisfied with their party’s candidates, whether from the PSD or PS.
“They believed these candidacies would not be successful and thought it would be interesting to have a candidacy from more transversal figures in Portuguese society,” he said.
Although he had stated months ago his intention to “end political life,” Rui Moreira felt he should “consider the matter” after being approached.
Rui Moreira assures he made an “intimate and family” evaluation
In a note sent to Lusa, the outgoing mayor, who also once served as president of the Commercial Association of Porto, confirmed he conducted an “intimate and family” evaluation with his “core team.”
“The conclusion I reached, considering personal and political factors, is that I do not intend to enter this race,” he explained.
“I became convinced that the center, from the center-left to the center-right, has a large number of candidates, which encourages vote dispersion and facilitates the potential success of anti-system candidacies,” he concluded.
Rui Moreira added that during his reflection on whether he should run, he found “sympathy” and expressed gratitude for it.
Belém? In July, Rui Moreira began to “consider this possibility”
In July, Rui Moreira stated he would make a decision “in the coming times,” noting that he would “never” announce it “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 program Crossfire.
Months earlier, in April, Rui Moreira confessed in an interview with Antena 1 that he did not consider himself “cut out” for the role but argued that “several things have changed” since then.
“For over 40 years, I have always held executive positions; whether in companies, in the Commercial Association of Porto, where I was president for 12 years, or in the Porto City Hall. At that time, I did not see myself holding a non-executive role, such as that of the President of the Republic. Events have occurred in the political spectrum, with some candidacies progressing and others not, and a group of people who had been speaking with me for a long time came forward to suggest it was a suitable time to consider a presidential candidacy. Hence, it was based on this that I began to consider this possibility,” he justified.
The Mayor of Porto also revealed he had already received expressions of support “from Minho to the Algarve, and also from the autonomous regions.”
There are already 19 pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic
With less than six months until the presidential elections, there are already 19 pre-candidates for Belém, but only three have party support. They are: Luís Marques Mendes (PSD), António Filipe (PCP), and Joana Amaral Dias (ADN).
Others including António José Seguro, Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Catarina Martins, João Cotrim Figueiredo, André Pestana, Angela Maryah, Bruno Monteiro, Bruno Morgado, Eduardo Lourenço, Emanuel Serra Moleirinho, Joaquim Espadaneira, Hugo Louret Pires, José Cardoso, Manuela Magno, Pedro Tinoco de Faria, Raul Perestrello, and Rui Costa are listed in the Candidacy Portal of the Ministry of Internal Administration.
