During a visit to Óbidos, he argued that the country must have ‘a spirit of greater ambition’ and supported the salary targets announced by the prime minister.
Presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes considered this Monday that Portugal had been considered the is “excellent news” and argued that the country must have “a spirit of greater ambition”.
Speaking to journalists during a visit to the “Óbidos Vila Natal” event, the candidate supported by PSD and CDS-PP considered that “Portugal being considered this year, among 36 of the most developed countries in the world, the one that is in first place, is excellent news”.
“[Para os] Portuguese, who are constantly being bombarded with negative news, this is positive news”.
“I think this news is one of the most extraordinary things the country can have”, he highlighted, maintaining that “it increases self-esteem and ambition”.
Luís Marques Mendes stated that “it is also good news for the Government, because it obviously recognizes the correctness of several government decisions”.
“I think it’s difficult for Portugal to have news as good, as positive and as ambitious as this, and I think we only have reasons for one thing, to continue pedaling harder and harder, without stopping, intensifying and reinforcing so that we have a spirit of greater ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition, I think that’s the right word at the moment”, he defended.
The candidate for President of the Republic also considered that this distinction from the British magazine The Economist should positively impress “everyone, those who support the Government and those who support the opposition”
“For a very simple reason: everyone is Portuguese, everyone likes Portugal, and news like this from an independent entity that is neither from the Government nor from the opposition, generates self-esteem, greater confidence in the country and greater hope for the future”.
Marques Mendes stated that the country needs “a transformative spirit, a reformist spirit, with balance, always thinking about everyone”.
“This is the case with labor legislation”, he exemplified, saying that “it is necessary for everyone to make concessions in the name of balance – Government, employers and unions” and arguing that “in all reforms there must always be these two words, balance on the one hand and ambition on the other”.
“We have to have ambition and this result released this Monday by the Economist gives us ambition, but at the same time we have to have balance, because no one can be left behind”, he said.
He exemplified that the most dynamic sectors of society, such as young people, need ambition, but the most vulnerable sectors, such as the elderly, pensioners and retirees, need attention.
“That’s why I say, ambition on the one hand, balance on the other, this is the path of the future”, he explained.
The candidate for Belém in the presidential elections on January 18 was also asked about the statements of the prime minister and leader of the PSD, who on Saturday increased salary targets for the country, now talking about 1,600 euros minimum wage and 3,000 euros average.
“I thought it was ambitious. But what’s the problem? It could even be on the day of the strike, or it could even be the day before. The important thing in what the prime minister said was the ambition to grow 3 or 4% per year. This is an ambitious speech, I like a prime minister with ambition”, he highlighted.
The former PSD leader considered that these goals are realistic if the country “pedals”.
“Is there anyone who is against this? I think that from now on what we have to do is make an effort to demand that these objectives are met, but we should be happy with these objectives, which are ambitious objectives”, he defended.
Luís Marques Mendes was this Monday in Óbidos (Leiria district), where he greeted and took photographs with several people, and heard good luck wishes for the January elections.
The candidate took the opportunity to drink “half a ginjinha”, in a place where this drink is traditional, and toasted Óbidos, “a beautiful land”.
