The parliamentary leader of the Bloco de Esquerda will not be a candidate in the next parliamentary elections, because he understands that it is time to renew and “make room for others”, but he says he is available for all struggles and is loyal to the values from the left.
In an opinion article published today in the Público newspaper, Pedro Filipe Soares believes that the planning of the elections for March 10 next year will be “the beginning of a new political cycle”, at a time when, according to him, “a transition marks”.
“I think it is time to renew, to comply with the republican principle that public representation has a limited time and to make room for others,” writes Pedro Filipe Soares, emphasizing that he made the decision “with the certainty that today the Left Bloc [BE] is stronger” and will “play a decisive role” in the next political cycle.
The BE leader emphasizes that this is “not a farewell to political activity or camaraderie”, which will be present in all struggles, as it remains true to the values of the left, “for rights at work, the ceiling for a dignified life , the response to the climate crisis, the culture of solidarity and the promotion of equality”.
“I won’t miss a single call, you know you can count on me for anything,” he wrote.
Pedro Filipe Soares also remembers what he considers “one of the most memorable moments” of his political life so far: “the crowd when we overthrew the right-wing government, in 2015”.
“After four years of destruction of the country, of attacks on salaries and pensions, hope emerged in its purest form,” he recalls, adding: “We knew that the parliamentary agreement was indispensable, but we also knew its limitations.”
“The absolute majority of the PS and the social crisis it has caused show how today we must be much more ambitious to solve the country’s blockages,” said Pedro Filipe Soares, who monitors progress on the emphasizes fundamental rights achieved in recent years, with marriage being considered a prerequisite. for example, same-sex adoption, the extension of rights to civil unions or the decriminalization of medically assisted death.
“And we have exposed how European rules, on deficit and debt targets, are creating a bottleneck for public investment and holding the country back,” he writes.
Source: DN
