Liberals' leader unexpectedly resigns

Currently, no candidates have officially declared their intention to succeed Rocha.

Rui Rocha | Photo via Iniciativa Liberal on X.

Rui Rocha has stepped down as president of Portugal’s Iniciativa Liberal (IL), marking a significant leadership shake-up in the liberal party following the recent legislative elections.

Rocha announced his resignation in an internal email to party members last Saturday, stating that IL is entering a new political cycle without the electoral strength it had aimed for.

In the letter, Rocha reflected on his two-and-a-half-year tenure, which included leading the party through four regional elections, one European election, and two national legislative contests.

While the IL secured its best-ever national results in the 2025 legislative elections, gaining nine seats in Parliament, Rocha acknowledged the party failed to achieve the level of influence it had hoped for.

“Despite reaching more Portuguese, it still wasn’t enough,” Rocha wrote. “Not enough to accelerate Portugal the way we wanted and the country needed.”

He cited this electoral underperformance as the core reason for his resignation. “My personal, professional, and political standards don’t allow me to ignore this outcome,” Rocha added, assuring members that he will remain active in politics as a regular party member and as a deputy elected from the Braga constituency.

Rocha also emphasized that he will not seek re-election as party leader and intends to remain neutral in the upcoming leadership contest.

“Serving the party now means making space for an internal debate about the future and finding leadership aligned with the new political landscape,” he said.

Party at a Crossroads

The resignation has taken many within IL by surprise.

Some members have raised concerns about the timing, while others are divided over whether the party’s upcoming national convention should elect only the executive commission or all governing bodies, and whether it should take place before or after the municipal elections.

On Wednesday, Mariana Leitão, the party’s former parliamentary leader and current presidential candidate, announced her candidacy for the leadership of the party.

She made the announcement in a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter):

“I come forward because I have the will and the capacity to bring together a movement that inspires change in the country: without fear of being liberal, with the courage to raise our liberal flags without any hesitation, without moderating the affirmation of liberal values in all their fullness,” reads the publication.

Aged 42 and with a degree in International Relations, Mariana Leitão joined the IL in June 2019, having been, between 2020 and 2022, president of the party’s National Council and, between 2022 and 2024, parliamentary leader of the IL Parliamentary Group.

At the last IL National Convention in February, she was elected vice-president of the party, on the list for the leadership presented by Rui Rocha.

Rui Malheiro, Rocha’s main opponent in the last leadership race, has also hinted at a potential run, but only if he can secure a solid base of support.

Until a new leader is chosen, IL’s secretary-general Miguel Rangel will serve as interim president.

A History of Rapid Turnover

Rocha’s departure continues a pattern of short-lived leadership at Iniciativa Liberal, which was founded in 2016 and officially became a political party in late 2017.

Since entering Parliament in 2019, the party has cycled through several leaders, including Miguel Ferreira da Silva, Carlos Guimarães Pinto, and João Cotrim de Figueiredo.

Rocha was elected party president in 2022, defeating Carla Castro and José Cardoso. At the time, he ambitiously set a goal of 15% in the next legislative elections, a target IL did not meet.

By the time of his re-election in early 2025, he avoided setting any concrete benchmarks, a contrast to his rival Malheiro.

Despite the party's growth and historic electoral performance in 2025, Rocha’s resignation signals a moment of reckoning.

As he steps aside, the IL now faces a critical juncture: redefining its strategy, choosing new leadership, and carving out a clearer role in Portugal’s evolving political landscape.