Presidential candidate António José Seguro said this Thursday that he took “good note” of the support proposal who goes to PS National Commissionbut reiterated that he had an “open candidacy” because the President of the Republic must be “above the parties”. “I take good note of this news, but I do not want and should not interfere in the internal life of political parties in Portugal. My candidacy was presented four months ago, it has been gaining more and more support, on the left, right, center, from people who have no party affiliation, and that is where I will continue”, began by responding Seguro upon arrival for the Safe Future Movement presentation, in Lisbon,
According to the former general secretary of the PS, his candidacy for Belém is “open, plural and addressed to all democrats, all humanists, all progressives”. “The role of the President of the Republic is to be above the partiesa President who serves the country, with dialogue, with independence, and above all helps to solve the problems of the Portuguese”, he defended. Faced with the insistence of journalists, Seguro considered that “no candidate is uncomfortable with having support”. “I want to be the President of all Portuguese people, and therefore the more support I have, the better”, he pointed out.
The former leader of the PS said he respected “very much the internal life of political parties” and provided a position on this possible support when there is a decision by the PS National Commission, which meets on Sunday, in Penafiel.
Regarding the fact that there are dissenting voices within the PS regarding this support, Seguro defended that this “is a unipersonal candidacy, which is aimed at all Portuguese people”. “What I appeal to is that democrats, progressives and humanists converge in this candidacy, so that they give me strength to be a President of the Republic who is above the parties, independent, and who, above all, knows how to mobilize political actors to solve the country’s problems”, he appealed.
About the words of the eve of Gouveia e Melowho warned that the future President cannot be the “Trojan Horse” of a party or a populist demagogue, Seguro replied: “I understand that the candidate Gouveia e Melo wants to attack me, but I ask, what about the country did he say anything?”. “If he didn’t say anything about the country, I have no comment to make, because my candidacy is about the country, not about the other candidates“, he simply added, when asked if he had felt these words as a direct attack.