Paulo Novais / LUSA
Livre’s co-spokesperson, Rui Tavares
Rui Tavares warns that André Ventura wants to “destroy political democracy” and that João Cotrim Figueiredo intends to end “social democracy”.
The spokesman for Livre Rui Tavares said this Sunday that André Ventura wants to “destroy political democracy” and that João Cotrim Figueiredo intends to end “social democracy”, accusing them of running for Belém to be “Trojan horses”.
In a speech at a rally in Coimbra, which ended the eighth day of Jorge Pinto’s presidential campaign, Rui Tavares once again spoke about the constitutional review, this time to attack fellow competitors for Belém André Ventura and João Cotrim Figueiredo, imputing them with an intention to call into question the democratic regime.
“Portugal was born as a political democracy and a social democracy. And if Andre Ventura is a candidate that we know and we have no right to ignore, because we see what his cronies do around the world, the ‘Trumps’ and the ‘Bolsonaros’, a candidate who would be capable of destroy political democracy. João Cotrim Figueiredo intends to do the same with social democracy”, he shot.
Regarding the former IL leader, Rui Tavares recalled his proposals, when he was a deputy, for the revision of the Constitution, which include the withdrawal of the right to enjoyment and cultural creation in “the name of a leaner Constitution” and the right to housing in a “full housing crisis”.
“If things are already the way they are, who thinks they can solve any problem? removing from the Constitution the State’s obligation to think, to remember to have a moral commitment to having income that people can pay”, he questioned.
For Rui Tavares, Ventura e Cotrim are two politicians who are “basically running for open the door and be the Trojan horses of a constitutional change that would put an end to political democracy, on the one hand, and social democracy” which are the basis of the Portuguese regime.
In the same intervention, before a room with a few dozen supporters, Rui Tavares addressed the issue of health in the country to criticize the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, for the Minister of Health with the argument that his departure would not solve the problems of the National Health Service (SNS).
“I think the Prime Minister forgot to say that to the Minister of Health when she started firing everyone as soon as she took office. After all, It seems that there are some problems that can be solved with layoffs. What cannot be resolved is the problem of Luís Montenegro having such a good lightning rod in the position of that Minister of Health who protects him from all criticism”, he said.
Before, Livre spokesperson Isabel Mendes Lopes also intervened to highlight that, as Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa warned, “2026 will be a unique year”, part of this uniqueness being the holding of elections in which “some of the candidates do not want to be President of the Republic”in a critique of André Ventura.
“He says he was pushed, that he didn’t even want to, at the same time he says he wants to end this regime,” he said.
