Presidential candidate António Filipe, backed by the PCP, believes his campaign will transcend “party boundaries” and insists it is “irreplaceable” on the Left, reiterating on Sunday night that he will not withdraw from the race to Belém.
“I am from the PCP, I don’t hide it, and I won’t hand in the card,” he stated during an interview with CNN Portugal.
When questioned about whether communist ideals could influence the role of the President of the Republic, António Filipe emphasized that “a communist President does not implement communism by decree the next day.”
“The day after my inauguration, the country will not wake up communist,” he assured.
Despite this and not intending “to copy any existing model” from other communist countries, the presidential candidate acknowledged that China’s economic model has “social progress” and has lifted “hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.”
With the country on the brink of a general strike on December 11, António Filipe left the final decision to the workers but described the proposed changes to the Labor Code as a “serious civilizational setback.”
Should the legislation reach Belém while he is President, the communist stated she would take several provisions to the Constitutional Court.
In the same interview, António Filipe admitted that if he were head of state, he “would not veto the euthanasia bill” nor attend the November 25 celebrations.
“It’s a rewriting of history, trying to oppose November 25 to April 25, diminishing April 25,” he argued.
However, he would receive the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, despite being one of the figures criticized by the PCP.
“It is a state with which Portugal has diplomatic relations. Probably, during our conversation, I would give him opinions he would not like to hear. And I probably wouldn’t like to hear some things he would say to me,” he admitted.
For António Filipe, “the sense of State” must prevail, noting, “we should not condition a country’s foreign policy to our political friends.”
If Luís Montenegro were to be charged in the Spinumviva case investigation, António Filipe “would react according to” a motion of no confidence. “If he resigned, I would accept the resignation. The dissolution of Parliament would have to be considered,” he explained.
It is noteworthy that the presidential elections are scheduled for January 18, 2026. There are more than a dozen candidates interested in occupying the position that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has held for eight years.
