Free. Jorge Pinto schedules presentation before official endorsement.

The results of the Livre primaries are not yet known, but MP Jorge Pinto has already set a date to present his presidential candidacy. Voting by members and supporters for the candidate they wish to support ended this Thursday at 12:00 PM, and the results will only be released on Friday, after the Livre Assembly, the highest body between congresses, analyzes the results. However, Jorge Pinto has not only confirmed his candidacy, but has also announced the date of its presentation even before Livre members and supporters have voted.

On Tuesday, the date for Jorge Pinto's candidacy presentation, which will take place this Friday in Amarante at 5:30 pm, began to be announced on social media. This announcement came 24 hours before the start of the voting process within Livre—a kind of primary that arises after the leadership signaled its intention to support Jorge Pinto, which prompted reservations among some members of the party itself .

When confronted by Observador with this overlapping of steps, Jorge Pinto assures that it is not an attempt to condition the will of Livre's militants. "It would be much worse if I didn't present my candidacy and went to give interviews (as are already scheduled in the media), before I could have the opportunity to explain in person to people what motivates me and what makes me want to move forward," the deputy argues.

At the same time, Jorge Pinto says he is “ very confident ” that the primary election decision will be to support him, although he guarantees that he will proceed with the presidential candidacy in any scenario . “I trust the people, my comrades, and I am very confident that their decision will be to support my candidacy—which, incidentally, makes sense, because he is a party candidate , whom they know well,” he says.

“They had the opportunity to ask me questions earlier this week, in a two-hour session. As far as I know, no other candidate has done this before submitting their candidacy. Therefore, following the good practices of Livre — transparency, direct dialogue with its members — I, even before submitting my candidacy, gave all my comrades the opportunity to ask me questions,” Jorge Pinto explained to Observador.

Up until now, the organization and logistics of the candidacy have also been carried out without the support of Livre . Jorge Pinto says that he himself contacted the mayor of Amarante, his hometown, to secure a space for the presentation. “When there is official support from the party, which I hope will happen, that's when the party will be involved. At the moment, we are working with a small team that I put together and that has been helping me in this initial phase,” he explains.

Among those closest to Jorge Pinto, who is aligned with Rui Tavares' leadership, there is a conviction that the MP will have a comfortable majority in the primaries. Even so, even if he is not the most voted candidate in the internal referendum, the Livre Assembly could decide to support him. This would be unprecedented since the party's founding—no decision resulting from a primary has ever been overturned.

The Livre Assembly decided on Monday that the internal consultation on the presidential elections would allow voting for candidates other than Jorge Pinto , but his name will be the only one to appear on the ballot. After answering whether or not they support the Livre deputy's candidacy, members and supporters are asked whether Livre should support "another candidate" that each voter considers to fit within their "political area".

Those who answered affirmatively to this question are asked to write the name of the candidate they want Livre to support, provided that this candidate has publicly stated their intention to run for president. Therefore, names such as former communist MP António Filipe, former Bloco coordinator Catarina Martins, or António José Seguro could be voted on.

The former Socialist secretary-general is expected to receive at least one vote in the primaries, with Ricardo Sá Fernandes having announced to Observador that he would support him in the presidential elections. However, after this support became known , no other voice from Livre publicly defended a presidential candidate other than Jorge Pinto.