Rui Moreira, the man who has changed the political landscape in Porto, shares his example in Madrid
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Miguel Nogueira
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party is gathered in Madrid, Spain, in the context of the 39th ALDE Party Congress.
The Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, the outsider, as The New York Times has stated, is in the Spanish capital by invitation of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, to take part in the congress as independent.
His election sparked the interest of media worldwide, as he was the first independent candidate to be elected in a major European city. As Mr. Moreira puts it "Porto is my political party".
Rui Moreira was the first independent Mayor, with no political affiliation, to be elected in Western Europe. This news made the cover of The New York Times, in 2013, stating that "Mr. Moreira, 57, managed to do something virtually without precedent here or almost anywhere else in Western Europe, being elected mayor of a major city without having been affiliated with an established political party".
In Madrid, Rui Moreira will participate in work sessions and bilateral meetings with Bart Sommers, President of ALDE Group, and Albert Rivera, the leader of Ciudadanos (Citizens) since July 2006. He is a member of the Congress of Deputies and a former member of the Parliament of Catalonia.
Yesterday, in an interview to the La Voz de Galicia Newspaper, the leader of Ciudadanos named Rui Moreira as a shining example of how to fight populism and nationalism, commending the platform established by Rui Moreira in the city of Porto, and adding the reference to Manuel Valls, former Minister of the Interior in France and candidate to the French presidential election in 2017.
"Would you look for some kind of platform regarding the Galician political aspirations? (...) At European level something is happening, like in Porto with Rui Moreira, who has created a platform or with Manuel Valls against populism and nationalism", Albert Rivera stated.
Also, Rui Moreira has been championed as a true leader committed to fighting inequalities and promoting more inclusive economic growth in the city of Porto. As such, Mayor Rui Moreira has been invited to speak at several international fora and conferences to share his viewpoints and experience as a leader.
The event gathers over 1,000 participants, including Prime Ministers, European Commissioners, party leaders, delegates and individual members from 60 members parties from all over Europe, who will adopt the ALDE Manifesto for the 2019 European Parliament elections, a document to celebrate the European values of integration in diversity, against radicalism and populism.