"Without harbouring any illusions about António José Seguro, especially since his thinking, positions, commitments and practice speak for themselves, the PCP will not give up intervening to prevent the election of André Ventura with the project, reactionary and anti-democratic conceptions, with the lies, demagoguery, hypocrisy that he embodies and gives voice to, and this, in the current context, is only possible with a vote for António José Seguro," he stated.

Paulo Raimundo was speaking to journalists at the PCP's national headquarters in Lisbon, after a meeting of the party's Central Committee.

The communist leader stated that "this option does not mean support for Seguro, but rather a determined and unhesitating attitude towards the defeat of the candidate of the past".

"Given the scenario we have, we have no doubt, the watchword is to prevent André Ventura from being elected president of the Republic," he stressed.

The Secretary-General of the PCP also considered, however, that the candidate supported by the PS has a "commitment to right-wing politics" and may "wink at the left and compromise with the right."

Raimundo also rejected the idea that the second round of the presidential elections, to be held on 8 February, is a "hypothetical battle between left and right," arguing that for that to happen, "there needs to be a left-wing candidate in the second round."

Regarding the PSD's position of not giving any indication of how they will vote in the second round of the presidential elections, which he described as a "purely circumstantial" and "convenient" option, the communist considered that "the government parties are playing with two carts, they are playing with the cart of not confronting Chega, because they need them to carry on their disastrous policy, but they are also safe and seek to safeguard that they have, on the other side, someone who, if necessary, in the face of blackmail, in the face of pressure, in the face of fear, will lend them a hand, as the PS lent a hand in the State Budget."

"There is one thing we know, it's a matter of time, the lack of clarity and the lack of courage, sooner or later, will backfire, and it will backfire on the Government," he warned.

Paulo Raimundo also lamented the result of the candidate supported by the PCP, António Filipe, who came in seventh place with about 1.6% of the vote, acknowledging it was not the desired outcome and attributing it to a "large-scale polling operation" that may have boosted strategic voting.

"The pressure and blackmail fulfilled their mission and functioned as a veritable vacuum cleaner of votes, leading many people to make choices dictated not by their conviction or their own opinion, but by the conditioning of this entire operation," he criticised, estimating that "many thousands of votes were diverted, sucked away, from António Filipe's candidacy."

The Secretary-General of the PCP also considered that the result obtained by the presidential candidate Luís Marques Mendes, supported by the PSD and CDS-PP, who came in fifth with about 11% of the votes, "puts a heavy burden on the Government." Raimundo stated, “Looking at the distribution of votes on the right, one cannot conclude that the Government's policy has yet received a red card, but the Government's candidate clearly received a red card; there is no doubt, and in turn the Government.”

In this press conference, the Secretary-General of the PCP also announced that “in the coming weeks” the party will carry out “a broad action of contact with workers, the population and youth on the slogan 'another direction for the country, rejecting the labour package, exploitation and injustices'”.

“An action around the problems that affect the majority of those who live and work in the country, giving concrete expression to the PCP's clear option regarding the second round of elections and affirming the rupture and change that is necessary in the country,” he indicated.