At around 9:30 AM, approximately ten supporters of the “Futuro em Comum” coalition, which includes Livre, BE, and PAN, gathered today at the entrance of the Feira da Adroana grounds in Lisbon.
While Livre spokesperson Rui Tavares awaited the arrival of BE leader Marisa Matias, several green, blue, and red flags bearing the symbol of the CDU coalition, uniting PCP and PEV, appeared at the same location.
Tavares seized the opportunity to greet Carlos Rabaçal, a candidate for the city council from the communist coalition. Moments later, he was approached by Eva Brás Pinho, a PSD deputy in parliament, who wore a shirt supporting another coalition: “Viva Cascais,” consisting of social democrats and CDS-PP, led by Nuno Piteira Lopes.
Wearing blue shirts and playing loud music, the mostly young supporters of the social democrat and centrist coalition livened the atmosphere as they entered the fairgrounds, with the music still audible as Tavares and Marisa Matias made statements to the press.
In this right-leaning territory where Mayor Carlos Carreiras is completing his final term, Tavares argued that Cascais “needs a policy that is more plural and balanced.”
“In Portugal, we have had a policy skewed to the right since the last elections on May 18, and what we need to do is recognize past votes’ legitimacy while campaigning and ask voters to rebalance politics for a more progressive approach,” he appealed.
Both Livre spokesperson and BE leader Marisa Matias expressed confidence in the election of Alexandre Abreu, who heads the coalition’s candidate list for the city council, and Safaa Dib, the top candidate for the Municipal Assembly.
When asked whether these local elections hold particular significance for BE after a series of unfavorable election results, Marisa Matias replied, “Every election is important.”
“The country’s political landscape is reconfiguring, and we have the obligation, especially at the local level—which is closest to the population—to present solutions to the problems people are facing,” she warned.
Once the statements were finished, Tavares and Marisa Matias continued canvassing for votes in the area.
At the entrance, they encountered a PS delegation. Tavares greeted Marcos Perestrello, Vice-President of the Assembly, who jokingly asked if he wanted a socialist leaflet, where João Ruivo is the candidate.
Further on, while looking at the coalition’s leaflet with Alexandre Abreu’s image, a resident admitted to Marisa Matias, “Yesterday I told my husband, I’m going to vote for this guy because he’s handsome.”
“We don’t question the reasons,” Marisa Matias joked.
Tavares continued, crossing paths with Anacleto’s stall, a Roma vendor who criticized Chega and André Ventura without reservation.
“We’re taking the Roma bus; I’m going to my homeland, but I don’t know which one it is, maybe he knows,” he jested.
Anacleto, claiming to have been in Portugal “for ten generations,” accused Ventura of “having no respect for anyone” and cited the various delegations present at the fair as an example.
“This is what I like to see, this is democracy. Now, he’s on TV for four hours to show he’s good,” he criticized, with Tavares agreeing that Ventura incites division.
In the distance, adaptations of chants typically sung in football stadiums were heard from the ‘blue shirts,’ supporters of the PSD/CDS coalition.
It wasn’t long before Tavares encountered Nuno Piteira Lopes, greeting him and saying “Long live the Republic!” as today marks the 115th anniversary of the Republic’s establishment.
“Democratic greetings, democratic greetings, democratic greetings,” echoed from the young PSD/CDS delegation surrounding Rui Tavares, who was now more distanced from his own group.
“Can I hear a ‘Long live the Republic’?” challenged Tavares, which was promptly met by the requested chant from the young supporters as he headed straight to the October 5th commemorative ceremony, being a councilman in the capital.
