Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced yesterday that he will re-run for office as President of the Republic, in the elections of January 24, 2021.
"My first word is to tell you that I am a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, because we have a pandemic to face, because we have an economic and social crisis to overcome, because we have a unique opportunity to, in addition to overcoming the crisis, change Portugal for the better, "said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the Versailles pastry shop in Belém, Lisbon, with the colors of the national flag as a backdrop, with the armillary sphere and the shield in increased size.
The space where Versailles is now, on the corner of Rua da Junqueira and Calçada da Ajuda, right next to the Palace of Belém, functioned as the campaign headquarters of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for the 2016 presidential elections.
About to turn 72, on December 12, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected President of the Republic in the first round in the elections of January 24, 2016, with 52% of the votes cast.
Full professor of retired law, former president of the PSD and political commentator on television, he assumed the leadership of the State on March 9, 2016.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa dismissed the possibility of having a second presidential term different from the first, stressing that, as a candidate, he is "exactly the same as five years ago", proudly Portuguese, universalist, social democratic, Catholic and Republican.
"Whoever advances in this election is exactly the same who advanced years ago. I am exactly the same," he said.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa then defined his ideological and political position: "Proudly Portuguese and, therefore, universalist; convincedly Catholic and, therefore, giving priority to the dignity of the person, ecumenical and contrary to a confessional state; admittedly republican and, for this, averse to nepotisms, clientelisms and corruptions; determinedly social-democratic and, therefore, defender of democracy and freedom ".
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that he fulfills "a duty of conscience when running for President of the Republic and that he would not" leave in the middle of a demanding and painful journey" in the current pandemic situation.
"I will not go out in the middle of a demanding and painful journey, I will not shirk my responsibilities, I will not exchange what we all know will be the adversities and unpopularities of tomorrow for the personal or family comfort of today.", declared Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
After announcing his re-election to the post of President of the Republic, in the same space that served as the campaign headquarters for his candidacy for the 2016 presidential elections, the former PSD leader and television commentator explained why he delayed this announcement.
"I tell you this only now, that is, I announce this only today because I wanted to enact the new electoral rules before calling the election, because I wanted to call the election as President before moving on as a citizen, and still and above all because, the worsening of the pandemic, in the autumn, wanted to make essential decisions about the declaration of the second state of emergency, its renewals and its projection until January, in times as sensitive as Christmas and the end of the year, as President, and not as candidate ", justified.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced that he is running for a second term because there is "a pandemic to face" and also "an economic and social crisis to overcome" and considered this "a unique opportunity to, in addition to overcoming the crisis, move to better Portugal ".
"Changing Portugal for the better in the economy, but above all, in our daily lives, reinforcing our territorial and cohesion, fighting poverty and exclusion, promoting employment, with investment, growth and a better distribution of wealth", he continued.
Then, he defended that it is necessary that this continues to be done "with proximity, with disregard, with democratic pluralism, but dialogue and convergence in essence, with an independent President, who does not falter, rather stabilizes, who does not divide, rather unites Portuguese".
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa defended that the choice of the Portuguese in the presidential elections is between renewing confidence in those who know, or someone different, with another view.
"Portuguese, the choice is yours: Renew confidence in those you have known for at least 20 years week after week and, in particular, in these five years; or to choose someone different with a vision different from the one I proposed and propose for Portugal", maintained Rebelo de Sousa.
He later said he was sure that, "whatever the verdict" of the Portuguese in the next presidential elections, "it will be for the good of Portugal and the same is to say for the good of the Portuguese, all of them, because in these times of sacrifice, more than in others of calm, each Portuguese person counts".
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
