Marques Mendes has expressed alignment with the current President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, regarding the President’s intention to appoint a government capable of ensuring parliamentary approval for its program.
“Yes, I agree. The President of the Republic has reiterated in recent days his significant concern with stability. And I believe he is right in doing so. Why? Because we are facing a unique situation; after these upcoming elections on Sunday, it won’t be possible to dissolve the parliament for about a year. This could lead the country into a deadlock,” stated Marques Mendes to journalists following a visit to the Ephemera – Biblioteca e Arquivo de José Pacheco Pereira in Barreiro, Setúbal district.
The social-democrat and presidential candidate argues that “there’s nothing better than alerting people to this before they vote.”
“I hold this view: stability is a vital issue for the country,” he indicated, adding that growth, development, and a stronger welfare state are unattainable without stability, and that the issue can be resolved only in two ways: “by the Portuguese people or by the political parties.”
The Portuguese people, Mendes emphasized, can grant a party or a coalition the governance mandate next May 18, or post-election, the parties can ensure a minimum level of stability.
“But in a word, the President is right, especially about this idea. The issue of stability has never been as important as it is in this election on May 18,” he highlighted.
When asked if the campaign has been informative, Marques Mendes said it has not.
“No, frankly, I don’t think so. Neither do I believe that the debates were very enlightening. They were as good as could be, but not very enlightening,” he remarked.
Marques Mendes believes that the campaign has seen many omissions, particularly the absence of global issues as a topic of debate.
“I can’t understand how an electoral campaign is conducted while the world is in such a state, Europe is as it is, and significant global changes are occurring, yet these are not subjects of debate. It’s challenging to comprehend because we are not an island, and what happens in Europe and the world influences Portugal’s situation, at the very least economically,” he expressed.
Asked whether the lack of clarity he notes in the election campaign could lead to increased abstention, the presidential candidate expressed concern.
“I hope not, but I fear it might. The positive sign was last Sunday, with early voting drawing more participants than the previous year. This is a good sign, and if it continues this Sunday, excellent, but I have some concerns in this regard. However, as an optimist, I believe abstention will continue to decrease,” he said.
Regarding his visit to Ephemera, Marques Mendes emphasized the importance of the work done in that space, describing it as a “true public service.”
“It’s an investment without any state support in history, culture, and knowledge. This is absolutely remarkable. It leads to a broad range of archives, books, and exhibitions. It’s an enrichment for the country, especially for younger generations, without any financial intervention from the state. It’s remarkable,” he commented.
Ephemera aims to disseminate the collections, archives, books, periodicals, manuscripts, pamphlets, photos, and objects from José Pacheco Pereira’s personal archive, making them accessible to all. It is known as Portugal’s most public private archive.
