Catholic frontrunner in pro-choice pledge

The frontrunner in Portugal’s presidential campaign said during a televised debate that he would not veto laws that legalise gay adoption and make abortion more readily available, if he is elected on 24 January, writes Filipe Avillez.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a former head of the centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) identifies as Catholic, saying he goes to Mass every Sunday and prays the rosary daily. Many Catholics were rankled by his statements during a 4 January debate with left-wing candidate Marisa Matias, taking to social media to accuse him of betraying his values to try to capture votes on the left.

Despite this, however, Mr Rebelo de Sousa enjoys a comfortable lead over the nine other candidates running for office, according to opinion polls, and could even win in the first round. He was chairman of the PSD between 1996 and 1999 and in 1998, as opposition leader, secured a referendum on legalising abortion, campaigning for a “no” vote. The pro-life movement won the vote but in 2007 a second referendum voted to make abortion legal on demand up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.