“It is a candidacy against the owners of everything,” declared Rui Rocha at a campaign dinner attended by Iniciativa Liberal leader Mariana Leitão, adding, “Braga has no owner; the owners of Braga are the people of Braga.”
In a city governed by the social-democrats for 12 years, Rocha pointed to councilor João Rodrigues, a PSD/CDS/PPM candidate aiming to succeed Ricardo Rio, labeling him one of the “owners of everything,” alongside the “PSD apparatus.”
“Braga doesn’t belong to Hugo Soares, and we will defeat all those who want to control Braga through the PSD apparatus,” Rocha stated, also accusing Filipe Aguiar (Chega) of opening the door to negotiations with the PSD should the social-democrats win.
Therefore, “voting for Chega is also voting for the owners of everything, and we are not here to make life easier for them.”
According to Rocha, “the people of Braga want change, and the only ones capable of bringing independence” and leading Braga into the future are the IL candidates.
To this end, Rocha adopted the slogan “Braga, Capital of the North,” despite it being a point of contention among liberals. “I apologize, Miguel Rangel, but we really want to be the capital of the north,” he said, addressing IL’s secretary-general and deputy.
“I love Braga more than João Rodrigues loves himself,” Rocha remarked sarcastically, highlighting the “extraordinary campaign” of IL, during which he has frequently heard the word “change.”
“The people of Braga desire change and a new political cycle,” he asserted, promising that this new cycle would be led by Iniciativa Liberal, dismissing the PS’s proposals as “from the past and rash,” lacking only “a cruise terminal” or “a new NASA base.”
“If the Portuguese are tired of the socialists’ spending attitude,” they are also frustrated with the “stagnation” of the City Hall’s governance and “a game that seems rigged,” he accused.
