“Politics must be about the serious lives of people and what needs to be said is that there’s no success in the economy when workers cannot pay for their homes, pharmacy bills, or grocery receipts,” stated the candidate supported by the Left Bloc during the presentation of António Pinho Vargas as her national representative for the presidential elections in January.
The British magazine “The Economist” has declared Portugal the “economy of the year” in 2025, replacing Spain, which had previously won last year and has now fallen to fourth place.
“We need to see why they thought Portugal was the economy of the year. There are some reasons which I find bizarre. One of the arguments is that the stock market is performing well. I’m certain in this country they thought if the stock market is doing well, then everything is smooth sailing,” she pointed out.
She continued: “Another argument is that many wealthy foreigners like relocating to Portugal because they pay fewer taxes here. People think if the wealthy foreigners are happy, then everything is smooth sailing,” she explained.
For the former coordinator of BE, “what needs to be said is that the economy’s quality is measured by the quality of wages, pensions, the quality of public services, and the quality of jobs.”
Catarina Martins also criticized the government of Luis Montenegro: “When we have a government that gets dazzled by the success of the economy of the year for the wealthy foreigner who pays few taxes or for the booming stock market, it is precisely the moment when we need a President who states that the economy’s success is only measured if those earning wages and pensions can pay for housing, pharmacies, and groceries,” she affirmed.
The MEP also reminded of the general strike planned for Thursday and a second public sector strike on Friday: “a general strike is a very serious thing, not seen since 2013. It isn’t something the unions schedule lightly, nor do workers undertake lightly,” she stated.
Regarding the ongoing electoral campaign, Catarina Martins criticized her opponents and offered a suggestion: “There’s a race to see who’s the most moderate, who can say the most outrageous thing to grab attention. I propose another formula: let’s make this campaign a fight for a decent country,” she said.
As for her representative, the candidate for Belém highlighted the friendship that unites them, with António Pinho Vargas explaining why he accepted the invitation to be Catarina Martins’ representative: “I accepted the invitation because there are moments when we have to move away from the comfort of the couch,” he said.
For the musician, who emphasized that it would be “easier” for him to be playing the piano, Catarina Martins “has the great advantage of not being afraid to defend leftist ideas” and brought unique topics to the political debate: “It was the first time I’ve heard in any election, in any presidential, municipal or legislative debate, someone talk about art and culture, especially with André Ventura,” he said, recalling the debate between Catarina Martins and the candidate supported by Chega.
The presidential elections are scheduled for January 18, 2026.
Besides Catarina Martins, other announced candidates for the presidential elections include André Ventura (supported by Chega), Cotrim Figueiredo (supported by IL), António José Seguro (supported by PS), António Filipe (supported by PCP), Jorge Pinto (supported by Livre), Luís Marques Mendes (supported by PSD), and Henrique Gouveia e Melo.
