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She arrived on time at 4 pm at the Casa da Imprensa, in Lisbon, alone, to make the long-awaited announcement: “Freedom and democracy are two issues that bring me here today, declaring me a candidate for the next presidential elections.” At the hearing, only the journalists, who did not have to wait a minute for the former Socialist MEP to destroy her own party, the PS, who left her speaking alone when she said she planned to move forward, and when she announced that the decision was taken. Ana Gomes praised Marcelo, praised Marisa and did not mention that-whose-name-does-not-speak, André Ventura, but made it clear that from now until January he will try to show that it is possible to change the system from within, without having to have “false prophets” and “anti-democratic opportunist forces.”
But first, the PS. “I have to say it didn’t count. For months and months I waited for mine, the Socialist Party, to present its own candidate, outside their ranks or their political area. I neither understand nor accept the devaluation of an act as significant as the election to the Presidency of the Republic ”, he said.
He went on to describe the importance of the position and the election these days: “How can democratic socialism not participate in these elections? How can you excuse yourself from being genuinely represented in a democratic competition for the highest office in the country? ”. What’s more, he explained, doing it (or not doing it) at a time when “we are living in strange times” of a serious economic and social crisis, as well as an environmental and global crisis, and at a time when, allied to everything. that is, “we know that there are anti-democratic forces lurking opportunists.”
JOÃO PORFÍRIO / OBSERVATOR
These are all reasons to keep going. But the main one, Ana Gomes would say when asked why she should go ahead with her own candidacy when she is the first to make a “positive assessment” of the mandate of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and praise her “friend” Marisa Matías, is the fact that there is an empty space in the socialist wing that, in his opinion, must be occupied. “This field cannot desert in a fight that is so important at a time when we see democracy in regression,” he said.
I mean, why go ahead? “Because I believe that, due to my personal and political trajectory, I represent the field of democratic socialism in which, at this moment, no candidacy is expected, because of what the leaders of my party have said,” he replied. Criticism of the PS – or the feeling of disillusionment with his party – was always present in the speech of the now candidate for Belém, who admits that I did not speak with António Costa to give an account of his reflection. “I would speak if the PS already had a candidate,” he said.
PS leaves Ana Gomes to speak alone. Socialists comply with the “modesty” requested by Costa
After criticism from the PS, implicitly directed at the person of António Costa, who starred in the famous moment of “Autoeuropa” in which he stretched the carpet to a re-candidacy of Marcelo, Ana Gomes did not want to talk to herself and made it clear that she has felt the support of “many” militants of the PS, since he made public his intention to advance with a candidacy. And she made it clear, with irony, that the PS will still have to do the internal debate on the subject, and it would not even occur to her that the socialist militants “did not know how to think in their own head.”
“I have received many messages of support and encouragement from PS activists to present my candidacy and run,” he said in response to journalists, specifying after those same messages have reached “all levels” of militancy, “Including the current leaders of the PS ”. But he did not elaborate.
JOÃO PORFÍRIO / OBSERVATOR
Regarding Marisa Matias, and about the possible division that the two candidates can create among the left-wing electorate, on pain that this benefits more extreme right-wing candidates, Ana Gomes refused to say whether she plans to surrender on behalf of the Bloc candidate Left or vice president. upside down. “Do we continue launching the candidacies and are we already talking about giving up?”, He questioned, after praising the blocking of the MEP in all areas: “An excellent candidate, she is one of mine and I am sure that we will do both campaigns with elevation and guided by ideas and projects ”. Objective: unite and federate, not divide.
If for Marisa he had compliments, for Marcelo the same. “I value positively the first term of António Costa’s government and why the intervention of the President of the Republic was also very important. I value positively the mandate of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa from the beginning that he introduced in a society that was very united, even because of the personality of the former President of the Republic, “he said, highlighting that he will not campaign for the negative,” against anyone. , but rather for the positive, “for a future project, for ideas of a better and fairer country, and for the ambition for the Portuguese to debate the designs of the future.” To André Ventura, who said he would resign if he fell behind Ana Gomes in the race, not a word. Indirect only against “The false prophets” and “opportunistic antidemocratic forces.”
Despite saying that he is not running against anyone but in favor of the country, there is a clear opponent in the words of Ana Gomes: the anti-system forces that want to overthrow democracy. For Ana Gomes, it is possible to combat the system installed within democracy and that is where she understands that she has a role.
“We cannot continue to let citizens be pushed to the sidelines, caught in the talk of false prophets or the lethargy of abstention. Thousands and thousands of disillusioned Portuguese, who have been left behind by the crisis, unemployment, disease, poverty or exclusion, must once again believe that democracy is worthwhile, that only in democracy and with solidarity can there be hope, ”he said.
For that, he assumes himself as the candidate of “transparency”, of “independence”, who “is not afraid to go against established interests”, and who is “free from cronyism and commitments.”
I mean, change, yes, but inside. And not take advantage of the weaknesses of the population to weaken democracy. For this reason, and while the PS is whistling aside, Ana Gomes assures that her candidacy will be “open to members of all democratic parties and to all people who, by not having political activity, identify with the causes she defends.”
