Former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho stated on Saturday that he feels no discomfort regarding the comments from Chega leader André Ventura, who expressed a preference for the former Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader as a candidate in the 2026 presidential elections, during his own announcement to run in the Belém race on Tuesday.
“Why would I be uncomfortable with someone saying they would vote for me, support me if I ran? I don’t see why I should feel uncomfortable,” Pedro Passos Coelho remarked to the press.
He emphasized: “I’m not [a candidate], it’s known that I won’t be; this has been known for a long time.”
Passos Coelho also refrained from commenting on whether Ventura attempted to contact him and distanced himself from the electoral campaign.
“I have nothing to do with the contexts in which the presidential elections are taking place; I am not involved in that,” he stated.
It should be noted that the Chega leader announced on Tuesday his candidacy for Belém, arguing that the party “must have a voice” in the election.
“I would have preferred Pedro Passos Coelho to run for President of the Republic. […] These presidential elections weren’t my wish, but they are the best way to lead the opposition in Portugal,” Ventura confessed during a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Lisbon.
André Ventura stated that “it wasn’t his desire” to advance with a candidacy for Belém, but justified it as a way to lead the opposition. The Chega leader criticized the candidates.
Ana Teresa Banha with Lusa | 17:22 – 16/09/2025
Earlier this year, the Chega leader indicated his intention to run again for the Presidency of the Republic. However, he seemed to abandon this plan after the early legislative elections, which elevated the party to the second largest force in Parliament.
Nevertheless, in the opening speech of a National Council meeting called to discuss the presidential elections, the Portuguese far-right leader reiterated his availability to enter the race.
André Ventura was a candidate for President of the Republic in 2021, a year when Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected for a second term in Belém. In that election, he received 11.90% of the votes, finishing third, behind Ana Gomes.
Besides André Ventura, the race for Belém has also seen entries from Henrique Gouveia e Melo, former PSD leader Luís Marques Mendes, former Socialist Party (PS) leader António José Seguro, former Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) deputy António Filipe, former Left Bloc (BE) leader Catarina Martins, and former Liberal Initiative (IL) leader João Cotrim de Figueiredo.
The President admitted a preference for January 18 as the date for the presidential elections “for two reasons,” with the “most important” being to avoid a second round coinciding with Carnival Sunday.
Carolina Pereira Soares | 20:07 – 16/09/2025
