“If [André Ventura] runs for the Presidency of the Republic, it’s his decision, and it will be up to the voters to decide if they want someone in the Presidency who practices lies, hate speech, and intolerance,” stated António Filipe to the media before a meeting with the Associação Conquistas da Revolução in Lisbon.
António Filipe also referred to André Ventura as “someone who apparently has difficulty distinguishing a citizen from a hamburger,” alluding to the confusion made by the president of Chega regarding the Bürgerfest, or Citizens’ Festival, in the gardens of the presidential palace in Berlin, for which the head of state, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was invited.
When questioned about the possibility of the Chega leader running for the 2026 presidential elections, the presidential candidate supported by the PCP responded: “For now, whether he runs or not is his problem. I do not give credit to what he says; I will comment on what he does. So, we are discussing possibilities.”
António Filipe subsequently critiqued the type of discourse used by André Ventura and added: “Whether he is a candidate or not is his problem. If he is a candidate, then it’s an issue for the voters. But, anyway, we will comment at that time.”
Regarding the confirmed candidacy of MEP Catarina Martins, the former BE coordinator, and the effect it might have on the political left, the former PCP deputy stated that “voters will decide” and declared himself as someone running “positively,” with “a clear program,” in defense of democracy and the Constitution. He expressed his belief that his candidacy holds “irreplaceable value.”
“And I appeal to all citizens, to all democrats. This is independent of the candidates that may arise. Some have emerged, others may appear,” he continued.
Asked if Catarina Martins’ candidacy could pose a problem for his due to vote splitting on the left, he replied, “I believe not. That is, I believe we cannot view the presidential elections as something where candidates present themselves as the candidate of party A, party B, or party C. That is not my interpretation of the role of the President of the Republic in Portugal.”
“And, therefore, I address all democrats with my profile. Obviously not hiding the support of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), which is my party, always has been, and will continue to be,” he added.
António Filipe seized the opportunity to criticize “that idea of handing over the membership card before the elections to then retrieve it afterward.”
“I do not hide from people, the voters, my convictions, but I respond for a past of fighting for my beliefs and also with the capacity I demonstrated to build bridges between various democratic forces in a positive way,” he said.
The former deputy, lawyer, and member of the PCP Central Committee, presented himself as the presidential candidate “for those dissatisfied with the state the country has reached, who consider that democracy has been degrading.”
Regarding the Associação Conquistas da Revolução, which he visited, and which is sponsored by General Vasco Gonçalves, António Filipe noted that “it is an association composed of many April military members, but also other citizens, and its main aim is to fight for the defense of the achievements of the April 25 Revolution.”
The National Council of Chega is scheduled to meet tonight in Lisbon to discuss the presidential elections of January 2026.
[News updated at 13:12]
