The SIC’s information management confirmed that the debate with candidates for the Lisbon City Council remains scheduled for the 15th, while the Porto debate has been moved to the 21st “for practical reasons.”
In a statement, CDU Lisbon criticized SIC’s plan for a face-to-face debate between candidates from PSD/CDS/IL and PS/Livre/BE/PAN at the Lisbon City Council, excluding CDU’s lead candidate João Ferreira, calling it discriminatory and contrary to democratic pluralism.
As a result, the PCP/PEV coalition filed complaints with the National Election Commission (CNE) and the Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC).
CDU expressed appreciation for the widespread dissent against SIC’s alleged discrimination, linking it to recent developments.
CDU’s candidates for city council are João Ferreira in Lisbon and former deputy Diana Ferreira in Porto.
On Friday, ERC ruled that SIC violated journalistic and electoral coverage laws by excluding CDU candidates from the initial municipal debates in Lisbon and Porto.
CNE sought input from SIC’s Director of Information regarding the complaint. In response, SIC stated that its face-to-face debates between leading coalition candidates do not preclude broader debates or interviews during the pre-campaign and campaign periods, which will include CDU candidates.
The Chega party also filed a similar complaint with the CNE, subsequently forwarded to ERC.
Chega’s Porto City Council candidate alleged SIC Noticias scheduled a face-to-face debate for September 14 between Manuel Pizarro (PS) and Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS/IL), and only a joint debate for other candidates.
The media regulator unanimously concluded that SIC’s decision to exclude Chega from the September 14 debate falls within editorial autonomy.
