It was with certainty that João Cotrim de Figueiredo, former leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL) and party MEP, presented his candidacy for President of the Republic: “I’m going to the second round, I believe I’ll surprise a lot of people.”
The stage for the presentation this Sunday, November 2, was the Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon, approximately 800 meters from the official residence of the head of state. This is the position to which Cotrim hopes to be elected in the presidential elections in January of next year.
Speaking to a room where there were several supporters from different political backgrounds, such as Nuno Afonso (former vice-president and founder of Chega) or Jorge Bleck (lawyer who was at the genesis of the PSD), the candidate supported by IL (whose leader was also present) said he knew “well” that there are “those” who underestimate him, “an error that is not new”.
“I know that there are those who are sad and always say ‘it can’t be done’. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that the things that usually don’t work for sad people are exactly the things worth trying to do.“, said João Cotrim de Figueiredo.
In addition to these “usual sadness”, there are still “many” who “did not understand the fundamental wave that is being generated around this candidacy”. “In other words”, said the candidate, “they will be, once again, very surprised by the results”. Why? “Why They are trapped in what I can call a laziness in labels, in polls, in narratives, in always looking at politics the way they have done for decades.“
For the presidential candidate, who announced that he will deliver the lists to the Constitutional Court this Monday (November 3), the intention behind this entry into the race for Belém is clear: “I want to build a country prepared for the future.” This will “require a lot of individual and collective efforts. We should not be afraid of this effort.”
This “main focus” can then be summed up in three words: “Culture, knowledge and growth“. Order is not a chance. Culture comes first because “a people who forget who they are, don’t know where they are going, a people who don’t renew their culture, aren’t going anywhere”. Then, knowledge, which “is the fuel of freedom”. “Only informed and conscious choices are truly free”. And finally, growth. “Without wealth, there is no lasting freedom. Growth is not a whim of economists, nor an objective in itself. It is the basis without which we will not be able to do everything we need to do well”, defended João Cotrim de Figueiredo.
After analyzing the state of the country, the liberal focused on health, “the main concern of the Portuguese”, which continues to fail “every day”. “Despite today consuming more than 80% of resources than ten years ago, the public system does not guarantee either the time or the quality of healthcare, especially for those who do not have the money to turn to other providers. Once and for all: the State has to ensure that the health system works.”
Leaving also messages addressed to three candidates (Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Luís Marques Mendes and André Ventura), João Cotrim de Figueiredo also said that he does not look at the Presidency of the Republic “as a career prize”, nor does he want to “be a television commentator” or “have airtime on television to be able to shout”.
“Cotrim is the Isaac Nader of the presidential championship”
In the session to present the candidacy for Belém, João Cotrim de Figueiredo had at his side the national representative, José Miguel Júdice. Also present was the former Belgian Prime Minister and current Vice-President of the European Parliament, Sophie Wilmès, who, as a member of the same European political family, considered Cotrim someone who “really listens” to people.
In his speech, which lasted around 10 minutes, José Miguel Júdice began by saying that Cotrim de Figueiredo “has no rival among its competitors”. Recalling that he comes from the “PSD area” and supports the current Government, the lawyer guaranteed that his support does not arise “out of mere resignation”. When he found out, in fact, that the liberal would run, he understood “immediately” who he would support.
As someone who lived through “all the presidential elections”, Júdice also spoke in the polls, which came to give Mário Soares “8%, less than what they give João” and ended up going through to the second round with 25.43%. “To pass now, you just need to have 20%”, something that the candidate’s representative believes is possible.
To illustrate this conviction, he used a sports metaphor: “This year, in the 1500 meter race at the Athletics World Cup, a Portuguese man managed to reach the final. He reached the final stretch in 5th place. In the last 100 meters, he overtook 4 opponents and became world champion. In other words, in the final stretch, the fights are won or lost. Watch the film of those 1500 meters and say: Cotrim is the Isaac Nader of the presidential championship.“