Fernando Nobre – a candidate among us

Vivalgarve: Many people know your humanitarian work with AMI, and see you as a successful, accomplished man. Why have you now decided to enter politics and stand as a candidate to the Presidency of the Republic?

Fernando Nobre: Because in the situation in which the country currently finds itself, I, as a citizen, understood that I have a duty to stand up and fight for the values that I have always defended. Namely those of social justice, dignity and equal justice for all. I realised that I could make a contribution, because of the work I’ve done for more than 30 years in the field of solidarity – both in the country and elsewhere in the world. I think my past brings together a set of personal attributes, possibly unique, that mean I could transmit to the Portuguese people my ideas, projects and intentions for the country.

It’s very rare to see apolitical or independent candidates having an easy time in election campaigns. Does this worry you?

Of course it does. It’s extremely difficult, and I’ll probably be the first independent “non-partisan” candidate to get to the electoral line-up – as it’s very hard-going collecting the minimum of 7.500 signatures required to be able to secure a candidacy. I’ve already managed 9.000, but I hope to gather 15.000. Afterwards, in financial terms, a candidacy like mine is dependent in large part on donations from the public. But I believe that people will understand that if they really want change – a u-turn from all that has happened in our country over the last decades – then they have a chance for it now. If electors want more of the same, well, there’ll be other candidates they can vote for. But if they want to opt for hope – for a real possibility for change in our country - then I am here to satisfy their desires and ambitions.

You’ve already travelled from North to South of the country. What are people saying to you?

I can say in terms of popular support, it’s been very good. I think there’s a wave of hope growing throughout the country. I can tell you that I am asked questions wherever I go – whether it’s a market fair, a café, a train or an airport. People are truly beginning to believe that it might just be possible to make a change for the better in our country.

You’ve already travelled 160 of the world’s countries. Have you ever seen a greater escalation of difficulties over such a short period of time, as has happened in Portugal recently?

Well, independent of all the difficulties that we find ourselves in right now – and they are real – there are countries in far worse situations than ours. We can’t compare Portugal to Zimbabwe, or Haiti, or the Congo – nor could we compare our difficulties to those of Pakistan, or Indonesia. But in a European context, it’s true that we’re the country with the lowest distribution of wealth – perhaps the country with the greatest social injustice and least perspectives for the future. It’s not by chance that we’re witnessing a new wave of émigrés in general, and particularly when it comes to our young people. To be honest, there are many people among us that no longer believe it’s possible to build their future in Portugal.

What’s your position?

Well of course, I believe it is possible. I think our country has a future because it has important “trump-cards”. But we have to outline the direction – and I think that all of us, working together, could create a truly sustainable country.

If you won, what would your first moves be?

Remember I’m running as a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic. I’m not trying to become Prime Minister, or Minister for the Treasury. I can say that within the constitutional powers at my disposal, I would try to alert the country to the real problems that we’re facing. I would try to mobilise civil society, political parties, the unions, the employers, and all those associated with the world of business to come together in a national consensus. I think if good example, unaligned with any political party, and dignity comes from the Head of State, then we could reverse the general “direction” that has taken us into such a situation.

One last question: what have you to say about corruption that’s now so established within the system, and the poor-functioning of the Portuguese justice?

They are huge problems. We know that slothful justice, with two scales dependent on two different measures (one for the rich, the other for the poor), with a “complicated” public administration, are demotivating for so many projects that could otherwise have a future. When citizens no longer believe in their state’s justice – which should be a pillar of society – democracy is put to the test. These are problems that have to be treated with good sense, as well as rigor and precision.