A debate among political parties with parliamentary representation, including the AD, PS, Chega, IL, BE, CDU, Livre, and PAN, took place at the RTP headquarters in Lisbon. The event was simultaneously broadcast on Antena 1, Renascença, TSF, and Observador.
During a segment focused on political stability and governance, neither the Prime Minister and leader of the PSD nor the Secretary-General of the PS clarified their intended alliances for governance or their plans should their parties face defeat, including whether they would continue to lead their respective parties or support an opposing government.
Both leaders urged voters to use their votes strategically in the legislative elections on May 18, with Pedro Nuno Santos arguing that only “a victory for the PS” could prevent an AD-led government. Meanwhile, Luís Montenegro encouraged those who previously voted for other parties and undecided voters to “concentrate their votes” on the PSD/CDS-PP coalition to “end the cycle of having elections almost every year.”
Rui Tavares referenced surveys, warning that the “right wing could be just four seats away”—translating the results into Parliamentary seats—from not a governing majority but a constitutional majority, requiring two-thirds of the deputies.
The Livre spokesperson noted that “Luís Montenegro was the parliamentary leader of a government eager to change the Constitution,” emphasized that “André Ventura has consistently proposed constitutional changes, even concerning fundamental rights,” and suggested that “Rui Rocha would also like to change the Constitution.”
He stressed, “Either the left has clarity and mobilizes progressive and democratic votes, or we could face a constitutionally perilous situation for the country, and this warning needed to be issued.”
Earlier, the leader of Chega expressed confidence in a potential majority scenario involving Chega and PSD in the Assembly of the Republic. He did not rule out supporting a new minority government led by Luís Montenegro, even without being part of it: “Dr. Luís Montenegro will need to present that [government] program to parliament, and that program will either be endorsed or not.”
André Ventura reiterated that his party “will always vote against” a left-leaning government, regretted that the current legislature saw the PSD leader and Prime Minister engage in negotiations with the PS, and countered the call to strategic voting by saying, “If you want a right-wing option, vote Chega.”
Without explicitly mentioning agreements, IL leader Rui Rocha stated that his party “will always rise to the occasion” and highlighted the “goals of IL” for different policies in housing and health and reducing taxes.
