Lisbon, Feb. 3, 2025 (Lusa) - Former leader of the centre-right PSE party, Luís Marques Mendes, made his last political commentary programme on SIC on Sunday and said that as a presidential candidate, he would pursue the causes of "ambition, stability and ethics".
"I made this decision because I think, after reflection and listening to many people, that I could be useful to the country. That's always been my criterion. And above all, I have two or three concerns: ambition, stability and ethics," Luís Marques Mendes said on SIC about his decision to run for president.
The State Counsellor said goodbye to his commentary slot on SIC's "Jornal da Noite" four days before the presentation session of his candidacy for the 2026 presidential elections, which is scheduled for Thursday in Fafe, in the district of Braga.
While emphasising that he would not anticipate his speech on Thursday, he said that as a presidential candidate, he would defend political stability. "We can't spend our lives in political crises, we can't spend our lives in dissolutions and early elections," he said.
Marques Mendes added that to do this, "we need to have some capacity to build bridges".
On the other hand, he promised to "introduce the issue of ethics into political life much more forcefully", noting that he made difficult decisions in this area when he led the PSD between 2005 and 2007, with which "almost no one in the party agreed".
"Today, we have to go much further, but much further. A large proportion of the Portuguese are a little fed up with politicians and the political class. This is not good for democracy. It can't be solved with populism. It's solved by making a greater appeal to ethics and deepening and developing decisions so that people can trust again," he said.
According to Marques Mendes, along with these two causes, Portugal needs ambition because it is "a country that is generally conformed, resigned, it even seems depressed, it seems accommodated", which he proposes to combat if elected head of state.
"It's a disease we have, this lack of ambition," he said.
When asked about the importance of political experience in becoming president, the former mayor and minister replied: "I think it's almost decisive. Experience is always important in life".
"Experience is security, it's predictability, it's certainty, it's knowing what you're counting on," he argued.
Marques Mendes refused to "comment on potential candidates" today, especially Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, former Chief of Staff of the Navy: "Because, according to what I read, he's on holiday. So let's let him finish his holidays and present his ideas, and then we'll confront ideas."
The former PSD president, confronted with the opinion polls and asked about his level of confidence regarding the upcoming campaign, expressed "humility on the one hand and determination on the other".
Marques Mendes emphasised that "the people decide, the people are sovereign" and that "in a democracy, there are no early winners or losers".
"Any fight of this nature is always difficult. But what is difficult for me works as a stimulus and an incentive," he said.
The current president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has announced that he intends to schedule the 2026 presidential elections for 25 January, with a possible second round three weeks later on 15 February.
Luís Marques Mendes, 67, a lawyer, will present his candidacy almost a year in advance, on 6 February - the day before the date chosen by the previous head of state, Jorge Sampaio, who presented himself as a candidate on 7 February 1995.
IEL/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
