Vitorino says decision on candidacy for Belém “will be made soon”

"I am on the verge of making a decision." António Vitorino said this afternoon in Lisbon that he will "soon" announce whether he will run for President of the Republic.

Following a debate on migration promoted by Sedes Jovem, António Vitorino was questioned by journalists about his hypothetical candidacy for Belém. He stated that he "does not want to create any suspense " but that the announcement of the decision "will be made soon". "Whatever happens will happen" [a humorous way of saying "whatever happens will happen"]​, commented the former president of the International Organization for Migration, with his well-known sense of humor.

In his intervention in the debate, António Vitorino revealed that a friend told him how strange it was that at this time - let's say, when candidates are being presented - he was going to talk about immigration, "a toxic topic". "Make sure it doesn't hurt you", warned the friend mentioned by Vitorino, who took the opportunity to make fun of his proto-candidacy for Belém: "I don't know what he was thinking". And Vitorino claims to think the opposite of his friend: "I think the opposite. If we want to think about Portugal without taboos, we have to think about immigration".

President of the National Council for Migration and Asylum , Vitorino participated this afternoon in the conference "Pensar Portugal" , organized by Sedes Jovem, in a panel that discussed the future of migration policies. The initiative, taking place at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, will also be attended this afternoon by Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who will discuss Portugal's role in the world.