"We obviously have to deal with the problem of migratory flows. We are not ignoring the problems and we have to face them and not leave this issue exclusively to the far right. But closing Europe off like a fortress is the opposite of what the Liberal Initiative defends", João Cotrim Figueiredo told Lusa during a pre-campaign action near Carcavelos beach, Cascais.

The IL candidate for the European elections on 9 June was questioned about the statements made by Chega president André Ventura at a convention of the far-right Spanish party Vox in Madrid, in which he called for a European Union with "strong borders" and without "mass entry of Islamic and Muslim immigrants" and said he was convinced he would be the next prime minister of Portugal.

"We want strong borders in Portugal, in Spain and in all of Europe. Because Europe is ours", said Ventura at the convention that is bringing together leaders of the European and American radical right in the Spanish capital today, in the pre-campaign for the European Parliament elections.

João Cotrim Figueiredo argued that this vision is "totally opposed" to what the IL believes the European space should be.

"Our view is simple and it is not only ours, it is that of the Portuguese people, who when they show their appreciation for Europe say that they like Europe. It has always been a space of peace, freedom, democracy and prosperity and it has done so because it has integrated, because it has generated these four freedoms of movement of people, goods, services and capital that have brought prosperity", said the IL candidate.

João Cotrim Figueiredo also considered that "it is openness that has made Europe great, useful and loved by people".

Also present at the pre-campaign initiative, which consisted of a street march and lunch, the president of the Liberal Initiative, Rui Rocha, commented on André Ventura's statements, namely when the Chega leader said he was convinced he would be the next prime minister of Portugal.

"The Portuguese have not yet given him the confidence to make this type of speech, therefore, I trust in the prudence and good decision of the Portuguese in the upcoming elections and we will be here to present our positions, our measures, our proposals, telling the Portuguese that the path is different", said Rui Rocha.

The president of the IL stressed that this path "does not involve fear, resentment and pitting Portuguese against Portuguese", but rather "changing the country in the sense that it needs economic prosperity, higher wages, conditions for young people to stay".

At the end of the street march on the waterfront between Oeiras and Carcavelos, the Liberal Initiative's top candidate for the European Parliament said that the reception from the population "has been great" and with "much greater capacity for mobilisation by the IL compared to past elections".

The candidate said that the European Parliament elections are "particularly difficult to project due to the nature of the issues and the fact that there is always more abstention".

"We will try to ensure that this year [abstention] is not so high and try to ensure that there is less abstention here too, as happened in the last legislative elections, he said, stressing that the IL maintains its initial goal of electing a MEP.

Read Also: Temido is against closing borders to solve the problem of migration (Portuguese version)