Presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes announced in Macedo de Cavaleiros that he will hold “open presidencies” throughout the country, if elected, and the first will be in Trás-os-Montes.
“Being elected President of the Republic, I decided to hold open presidencies throughout Portugal and the first will be here in Trás-os-Montes and Beiras, subordinated to the idea of developing the Interior”, he revealed at a lunch with supporters in Macedo de Cavaleiros.
The candidate supported by the PSD and the CDS-PP added that education and employment will be the highlighted themes, arguing that it is necessary to “now force new public policies that help investment and employment in the interior of Portugal”.
Brands Mendes he also wants to “give more voice to youth”, with the presence of a young person on the State Council, criticizing his opponents in the race for the presidency of the Republic, for, he stated, devaluing this idea.
“I know that my opponents don’t like the idea of placing a young person on the State Council, they devalue the idea, but I think they are doing it wrong. What I want by placing a young person on the State Council for the first time in Portugal is to give young people the opportunity to have more voice, to have more power of intervention, to provide better conditions, face to face with political decision makers, to talk about the housing nightmare, the drama of every year thousands of young people going abroad in search of better conditions”, he stated.
The candidate guaranteed that he will be an “aggregating” president, who will represent “all Portuguese”, who is committed to “national cohesion”, with “experience” and “hope for the future”, ensuring that he will not be a “Queen of England”, looking for “constructive interventions”.
“This cohesion is fundamental in the times we live in (…) With trade wars that are multiplying and that put our security and economy at risk. With a United Nations that today has become an irrelevant entity, it is not the fault of António Guterres, but it is despite the efforts of António Guterres. Or a World Trade Organization that has been missing for a while in combat”, he criticized.
In a Europe, “where there is political fragility and loss of economic competitiveness in relation to China or the United States”, Luís Marques Mendes wants “stability” for Portugal, which he believes is only possible with its experience and “capacity to arbitrate conflicts”.
On the other hand, he has “hope in a richer country”, with better salaries and better pensions, distributing “more wealth” and the “ethical responsibility” in its distribution.
Luís Marques Mendes began his electoral campaign this Saturday in Trás-os-Montes, with stops in Mirandela, Macedo de Cavaleiros and Podence, where he was with the Caretos.