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"Yesterday was a particularly difficult day" for Cotrim, but today he woke "with renewed strength": "This will not bring me down"

Tuesday, 13 January 2026RSS
"Yesterday was a particularly difficult day" for Cotrim, but today he woke "with renewed strength": "This will not bring me down"

Presidential candidate João Cotrim de Figueiredo says he still believes he can reach the run-off “despite the difficult days”. “Yesterday was a particularly difficult day and that may have clouded my judgement and my ability to correct my statements,” he says, once again revising remarks made about Ventura: “I wanted to make it clear that I did not want to commit to any candidate and I ended up committing to all of them; that is what caused the misunderstanding. I was not clear.” He added: “It was a rather unfortunate moment on my part. I accept that I lacked clarity.”

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Context & Explainers

André Ventura

André Ventura, born January 15, 1983, is a lawyer, academic, and Portugal's most prominent far-right leader. He founded Chega ("Enough") in 2019 after his PSD mayoral campaign attacked the Romani community. Chega surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest party and making Ventura Leader of the Opposition.

His platform emphasizes immigration restrictions, law-and-order policies, constitutional reform, and contains inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric that has triggered multiple discrimination convictions and investigations. Politically classified as far-right by international media, Ventura cultivates alliances with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal.

He announced his 2026 presidential candidacy, polling at 18% alongside independent Admiral Gouveia e Melo. His rise ended Portugal's 50-year resistance to far-right parties.