The convention begins at 09h30 in Alcobaça (Leiria) with the ratification of the regulations of the 10th Convention and is expected to conclude around 21h00 with a speech by the new leader of IL.
The sole candidate for the presidency, Mariana Leitão, is expected to be elected as the president of IL. The only scenario in which the current parliamentary leader could fail the election would be if half of the 985 registered members do not attend the vote, according to the convention’s regulations.
If elected, Mariana Leitão will become the party’s fifth leader and the first woman to hold the position, succeeding Rui Rocha, who resigned on May 31, citing the insufficient outcome of IL in the legislative elections.
In those legislative elections, IL secured 5.36% and nine seats, one more than in the 2024 elections.
In her motion for candidacy, Mariana Leitão expresses her desire for an IL without “fear of offending” and calls for a “reconnection with what” she views as the essence of the party: “irreverence with purpose, freedom with responsibility, directness in the message, clarity in ideas, and the courage to lead a transformation.”
In the proposed list for the Executive Committee, Mariana Leitão retains 60% of the members from Rui Rocha’s previous leadership, with 15 directors remaining in the executive body and 10 new members, including two former supporters of Carla Castro, who contested the leadership with Rui Rocha at the 2023 convention.
In addition to electing new leadership, IL members will also debate and vote on 19 sectoral motions, which the internal opposition has used to criticize the current party leadership, particularly concerning its stance on issues like social rights, minorities, or nationality.
