Carlos Guimarães Pinto: "I will vote for Seguro; he has shown he can put the country before his ego and party interests"
The former president of Liberal Initiative announced that he will vote for António José Seguro in the second round. Carlos Guimarães Pinto (IL) and Bruno Nunes (Chega) joined Cecília Meireles and Miguel Prata Roque on the Linhas Vermelhas podcast to take stock of the results of the first round of the presidential election.
António José Seguro received the most votes; Ventura came second
The results put André Ventura in second place with 23.48% and João Cotrim de Figueiredo in third with 15.99%.
João Cotrim de Figueiredo: 'Montenegro did not put the country before the interests of his own party'
João Cotrim de Figueiredo says that the PSD made a strategic mistake by not supporting his candidacy and that Luís Montenegro put the party's interests ahead of those of the country. 'I have to say it, he did not live up to the legacy of Francisco Sá Carneiro.' The candidate backed by the Liberal Initiative says the Portuguese will be faced in the second round with a 'terrible choice' between Seguro and Ventura and does not support either candidate. See the full speech here.
Cotrim de Figueiredo accepts 'personal defeat' and criticises Montenegro's 'strategic mistake'
“I accept it as a personal defeat,” said the candidate supported by the Liberal Initiative. “My defeat does not in any way diminish another huge victory: your victory,” he added, addressing his supporters at the campaign headquarters.
Former adviser says she complained about Cotrim but Liberal Initiative denies it
Inês Bichão broke her silence to reveal that she received 'threats and attempts at intimidation' after reporting the case.
Harassment allegation and possible support for Ventura shook Cotrim's rising campaign
From the first day Cotrim Figueiredo, supported by the Liberal Initiative (IL), made clear that the goal was to advance to the second round of Sunday’s elections and, once there, to win.
At midnight, Cotrim de Figueiredo denied the accusation before it reached the newspapers
Cotrim de Figueiredo rejected an allegation immediately, doing so even before the story appeared in the press.
10pm: Marques Mendes links Cotrim de Figueiredo to Chega
The allegation arises after his remark about possible support for André Ventura in a run-off. Cotrim also flatly denies an accusation of harassment by a former aide of the Liberal Initiative.
"It's not the Palace of Conceit": Mendes's campaign attacks Cotrim
Capitalising on Cotrim Figueiredo's comments about a potential endorsement of André Ventura in the second round, Luís Marques Mendes tied the liberal candidate to Chega, and Sebastião Bugalho pressed the point.
"If Cotrim de Figueiredo weren't high in the polls, the sexual harassment accusation wouldn't have come out"
CNN Portugal commentator Rui Calafate analyses the potential effects of the allegation of sexual harassment against Cotrim de Figueiredo made by a former adviser to the Liberal Initiative.
Ventura: "Cotrim de Figueiredo is a kind of Left Bloc, but well-dressed"
André Ventura says his aim is to to prevent the election of a socialist President of the Republic. For that reason, the Chega candidate says he views João Cotrim de Figueiredo's support in a potential second round “as natural”. Meanwhile, at a campaign event in Vila Real, Ventura says the candidate backed by the Liberal Initiative (IL) is in every respect the same as the opponents supported by the Socialist Party (PS) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
Jorge Pinto accuses Cotrim of abandoning his own principles
Jorge Pinto accuses João Cotrim de Figueiredo of having an “ideology that wavers in every direction” — a reference to the fact that the candidate backed by the Liberal Initiative has indicated he might support André Ventura in a second round.
Presidential election: Cotrim is worth more than the Liberal Initiative
The candidate backed by the Liberal Initiative has run a strong campaign and is already worth more than the party's own leader. He wasn't talked about this much even in Sá Carneiro's day. Can candidates succeed on their own?
How the machines behind the five biggest campaigns work
Almirante relies on people aligned with Rio and former advisers to Costa and Sócrates. The PS (Socialist Party) is discreetly backing Seguro. Mendes is being boosted by the orange machine. Cotrim has help from IL (Liberal Initiative), and Ventura's one-man show continues.
Seguro returns to the lead, Cotrim moves into second
It is the first time that the MEP and candidate backed by the Liberal Initiative has reached the hypothetical second round, with André Ventura falling from first to third.
Cotrim admits a Passos Coelho candidacy would lead him not to stand for Belém
Cotrim de Figueiredo and Jorge Pinto crossed paths during the campaign. The two candidates held a discussion about the positions of their campaigns. The former leader of the IL (Liberal Initiative) admitted that a candidacy by Passos Coelho would lead him to choose not to stand for Belém.
Ventura: "Let's bang the table." Cotrim de Figueiredo's vigorous 'bang' and his muted 'bang'
The difference will be in the volume. In the bang.
Cotrim de Figueiredo accused of 'populism': 'The strategy is risky, but he has to take the risk'
The trial run was in the European elections; now the candidate backed by IL is pushing further with the strategy used by populist parties, buoyed by the polls and support among young voters. After all, is the plan working or does it carry risks?
Cotrim: 'Come tell me which campaign has a reformist spirit in this election? None!'
The cold that descended on Lisbon did not deter João Cotrim de Figueiredo. The candidate backed by the Liberal Initiative had arranged a match with supporters — nearly 200 signed up — and so it went: Cotrim took to the pitch just after nine in the evening, introduced as the liberals' 'centre-forward' on the field and, more than that, the 'next President of the Republic' of Portugal.
Cotrim de Figueiredo calls on the Portuguese to make their choice in 2026
João Cotrim de Figueiredo issued a New Year’s message.
In a debate full of poor arguments, Cotrim managed to present better ones than Ventura
Cotrim de Figueiredo and André Ventura debated tonight on SIC in a tense exchange marked by personal attacks and contradictions over political positions. Expresso commentators saw the better arguments in the liberal, though not without difficulty.
