If I (already) were president sent them to understand each other

He is the only candidate who is already on the road officially and ensures that the political crisis will not take him out of there. Luís Marques Mendes has been multiplied in contacts and continues to collect support. The concern is to widen the political space as much as possible and to distance themselves from the image of a party candidate.

Military alongside Marques Mendes

Aware that Admiral Gouveia and Melo is his main opponent, Marques Mendes particularly values ​​the supports of former military chiefs. In recent days there have been heavy supports of this area: Pina Monteiro (ex Cemgfa), Taveira Martins and Manuel Rolo (ex CEMFA).

The presidential candidate has also been collecting support in other areas, with priority to independent names that are politically in a more center left area. Amílcar Falcão, dean of the University of Coimbra and Jonatas Machado, director of the Faculty of Law of the same university are two names that join the candidate’s list of supporters, where there are also names in the area of ​​culture such as António Sala, Marina Mota, Carlos Cunha, Rita Salema and Adriano Jordão and the well -known doctor Manuel Antunes.

Along with the collection of support, Marques Mendes maintains the program that had already delineated before the triggering of the latest political crisis that dictated early legislative elections in May. Next week she has been meeting a meeting with a business association in the center of the country and continues the script especially dedicated to young people, with presence in various universities and polytechnics around the country.

Neither central block nor spring

Asked about the political solutions for the future, in a scenario of great instability, Marques Mendes launched a commitment proposal between the two largest parties, PS and PSD, which was quickly interpreted as a kind of central block.

At the sunrise, the candidate clarifies that what he proposes has nothing to do with a central block, nor does it imply agreements either of government or parliamentary incidence.

« The issue of stability is capital, » says the presidential candidate who says it is necessary to find a solution of stability, regardless of the political framework that came out of the elections of 18 May. « One cannot walk from year to year elections and there are only two ways to resolve the issue of stability: either voters resolve, or it is necessary to give conditions for minority governments to resist. » It is in the context of an electoral result similar to that resulting from the last trip to the polls that Marques Mendes considers that it is up to the two largest parties to make a minimal commitment to stability: ‘They commit to not presenting motions of censorship, no motions of trust; and commit themselves to negotiating budgets.

Luís Marques Mendes says he is not proposing anything very different from what Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa did when he led the PSD and the Socialist Party led by António Guterres had a minority government. At that time, the now President of the Republic justified the guarantee of passing the PS government budgets to ensure that the country was able to enter the euro. Now, says Marques Mendes «We are not in a very different situation. Economic data is good, but if the country gives abroad an image of permanent instability, this picture changes quickly. In addition to the economic issue, the candidate considers that the uncertainty and instability in the world is enough for the country to take the issue of political stability seriously.

But should this commitment be made by the two parties in election campaign time? « No, there is no environment for campaign commitments, this is a story for the post elections. »

And should the President of the Republic be to intervene so that this commitment is? « If necessary can it be mediator, but only if the parties do not understand each other. »

At a time when he’s practically campaigning alone, Marques Mendes makes, from this time, a laboratory of ideas for what he can do when and reaching the Palace of Belém.

« It is necessary to move from the diagnosis to the action, » he says at the same time that he recalls that it was Fernando Medina who recalled that in the vote declaration after the confidence motion vote is supposed to last four years. For this to happen in the scenario of a fragmented parliament, it is necessary proposals, « and this is one. »