André Sampaio will join the political committee of the candidacy of the former PSD leader, chaired by Francisco Pinto Balsemão.
The news was disclosed by the newspaper Público and confirmed by the Lusa agency with the candidacy of Luís Marques Mendes.
In a statement accessed by Lusa, André Sampaio states that he has known Luís Marques Mendes for many years and considers him “a person who genuinely cares about others”.
“He is, in my view, the right protagonist to understand and unite the different generations of Portuguese, to meet their expectations and interpret their legitimate fears and concerns,” argued André Sampaio.
On Monday, a presentation of the committee of honor will take place in Coimbra, following the first presentation held in Lisbon earlier this month.
Today, the candidacy revealed more personalities supporting Luís Marques Mendes, tied to the region, such as the former president of Académica Paulo Almeida, the former mayor of Coimbra Carlos Encarnação, the rector of the University of Coimbra Amílcar Falcão, former Secretary of State Paulo Júlio, Isabel Damasceno, president of the CCDR do Centro, or the former president of the Constitutional Court, José Manuel Cardoso da Costa.
These supporters are joined by others already known, such as Leonor Beleza, who chairs the candidacy’s committee of honor, Manuela Eanes, writer Alice Vieira, presenter António Sala, or former football coach Toni.
Luís Marques Mendes also has the support of the PSD, a party he led between 2005 and 2007.
