Cotrim Figueiredo wants to be a "beacon of reference" and points to young people

The former leader of the Liberal Initiative (IL) and MEP, João Cotrim Figueiredo, defended this Wednesday that, with his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic, he intends to be a "beacon of reference" and "show a certain path" for Portugal.

"I think that any President of the Republic must be a beacon for the people who elect him, and even for those who don't, and for the leaders with whom he will have to work. A beacon in the sense of being a reference and showing a certain path," he said, in an interview with SIC Notícias, arguing that it is necessary to be "aware that Portugal, Europe and the world will undergo quite significant changes in the coming years."

Regarding expectations for the 2026 Presidential elections, Cotrim Figueiredo acknowledged that he "would be quite dissatisfied if he had a lower percentage" than in the European elections, in which the Liberal Initiative received 9.26% of the votes.

"The only thing I can say at this point is that, with the candidates we know, I wouldn't be satisfied if I had a percentage lower than those nine or so percent," he stressed.

The liberal stated that he has the support of IL, but acknowledged that "no party in the Portuguese party system" is "in a position to support" his candidacy, which "makes the voter's choice a little more difficult."

"If I were on the other side of the fence, on the Left, I would be much more concerned about the difficulty of finding candidates on the Left than having too many candidates on the Right," he said.

He also expressed confidence that he would win the vote of young people and small business owners, arguing that it is necessary to "welcome and cherish those who make the country run day to day and who receive very little recognition."

"No one is pointing out with the clarity that I am to this audience of Portuguese people who want to create a truly different Portugal, more modern and more open," he said.

And he added: "I know I will be competing for votes with others (...). But I don't see any competition in this range."

Cotrim Figueiredo admitted that "four months ago" he had not considered running for President of the Republic, but ended up feeling "enormous solidarity with a large group of people who do not identify with any of the candidates."

"These people are particularly the younger ones, particularly the more dynamic ones, particularly those who want to make the country much more modern and open-minded," he explained.

Candidates Criticizing Fire Management? "Sectoral Policies Should Not Be Discussed in Public"

When asked about the issue of fires in Portugal, the management of which drew criticism from presidential candidates Henrique Gouveia e Melo and António José Seguro this Wednesday, the MEP stated that "sectoral policies should not be discussed in public."

"I don't think it's a good idea to comment on sectoral policies, whatever they may be, when the issues are particularly heated," he said.

Still, he admitted that "80% of what was said" about what to do "to prevent Pedrógão from ever happening again was never done." "We still don't know who owns almost half of the country's forest land," he said.

Cotrim Figueiredo wants to run a "more comprehensive candidacy"

João Cotrim de Figueiredo announced his candidacy for President of the Republic on Wednesday night.

"I can announce that yes, I am a candidate for President of the Republic in the elections that will take place in 2026," announced João Cotrim Figueiredo, in an interview with SIC, adding that he wants to make a "more comprehensive candidacy", beyond the IL, and "open it to everyone who can imagine a Portugal different from what it is today".

Cotrim Figueiredo said he had received "hundreds of messages from people from many parties" who encouraged him to move forward and agreed that "this could be much better and different."

João Cotrim de Figueiredo announced that he will run for president in January 2026. He stated that he wants his candidacy to be "more inclusive" and open "to everyone."

Maria Gouveia with Lusa | 8:38 PM - August 13, 2025

In the last presidential elections, in January 2021, the IL-backed candidate, Tiago Mayan Gonçalves, came in sixth place, with 3.22% and 134,000 votes.

For these presidential elections, the current IL leader, Mariana Leitão, had already announced her candidacy for Belém, which she ultimately withdrew when she decided to run for the party presidency.

So far, the former president of the PSD, Luís Marques Mendes, the former Chief of the Navy General Staff, Admiral Gouveia e Melo, the former secretary-general of the PS, António José Seguro, and the former deputy of the PCP, António Filipe, have already formalized their intention to run in the presidential elections of January 2026.

Read Also: Cotrim de Figueiredo announces candidacy for President of the Republic