Rui Tavares, co-spokesperson for Livre, assured again this Friday that his party is “in the same place” and stressed that he never said he would support a right-wing government. “What we have always said, and it hasn’t changed a single day, is that Livre is part of the solution of a majority on the left. If there is a majority on the right, Livre is part of the opposition”, he summarized. And he left a message to the left-wing partners who attacked Livre after Rui Tavares admitted to talking to the right: “Stealing votes between parties on the left does not make the left grow.”
Rui Tavares’ statements come after he said on Thursday that Livre is willing to dialogue with the right for broad understandings about “the health of democracy”, such as changes to the electoral system, the fight against corruption or moving towards reform of Justice (in fact, Tavares and PSD leader Luís Montenegro agreed on this matter in their television duel). The sole deputy’s statements generated criticism from BE, but also from PCP and even Chega (which rejected an understanding that Livre never considered).
Although he keeps the door closed to an agreement with the democratic right (which excludes Chega), this does not mean that he does not believe ― as he has defended since the founding of the party ― that the democratic left and right can and should dialogue, he repeated Tavares.
With undecided voters representing around 20% of voters, Rui Tavares left a message for the remaining parties, noting that “you can only win by looking for votes that are undecided between parties on the right and parties on the left”.
Livre “never rode on decontextualizations”
Without particularly referring to any party, Rui Tavares said that Livre “never decontextualized” against partners, adding that on its side it would not “feed sterile controversies and decontextualizations and misinformation”, remembering that this was a strategy used by right-wing parties against BE and with which Livre did not align, thus responding to statements by BE coordinator, Mariana Mortágua, or PCP figures, such as João Ferreira.
Tavares explained that what he has always said is that Livre “is available to improve democracy” and to dialogue about proposals such as the introduction of a compensation electoral district (a topic on which, in addition to Livre, BE, PCP, PS, PAN, AD and IL agree that there is room for debate), especially because changes to the electoral system cannot be made with a simple or even absolute majority, “but a majority that transcends one of the fields of our politics”.
Asked whether he is considering presenting or approving a motion to reject a minority government of the Democratic Alliance (AD), Tavares says that Livre will do so “if it deems it necessary”, but only after knowing the next executive’s program. The co-spokesperson will not, however, approve a rejection motion presented by Chega, especially because on the left side, and with the exception of votes of regret, Livre, PS and PCP have never approved a proposal from the party led by André Ventura. Outside this left fence was BE, which has already approved proposals from the populist radical right party’s bench.