Mariana Mortágua convened a meeting this afternoon at BE’s national headquarters in Lisbon with several campaign volunteers. The volunteers were busy preparing ‘kits’ containing cloth bags, pins, stickers, and leaflets adorned with the campaign slogan “change of life.”
Addressing the media, Mortágua expressed that BE aims to run a campaign focused on discussing “people’s lives, rather than scenarios, polls, or hypothetical future worlds,” emphasizing issues pertinent to the Portuguese populace.
“This is why we are organizing a different kind of campaign, involving door-to-door meetings and personal conversations. We want to listen to those experiencing hardships in Portugal and explain why voting for BE is worthwhile. There is no better way to achieve this than by engaging directly with the people,” she stated.
When questioned about the suggestion by Livre’s spokesperson Rui Tavares for the Socialist Party (PS) to target centrist votes to enable more leftist parties to secure that voter base, Mortágua commented that politicians should focus less on political analysis and more on proposing policies.
“I want to face all individuals living in Portugal and clarify what a vote for BE stands for: I want to outline actions to reduce rents, ensure fiscal justice, tax large fortunes, and invest in public services,” she enumerated.
Despite queries about potential left-wing vote fragmentation or strategic voting in favor of the PS, Mortágua remarked, “In recent years, those on the left who voted for PS under the guise of a useful vote ended up disillusioned.”
“Precisely because PS failed to lower housing costs, address national challenges, or salvage the NHS. It’s time for different solutions to age-old issues. We face a housing crisis: BE has a proposal modeled after Amsterdam’s effective rent ceiling policy,” she argued.
When asked about the necessity of a left-wing majority to implement these proposals, Mortágua affirmed that BE, following the elections, will align with any deputies willing to tax large fortunes or provide respite for laborers.
When considering whether Livre could be seen as an electoral adversary to BE, Mortágua was firm, identifying Chega and the governing PSD as the real opponents, criticizing them for unpreparedness and exacerbating the housing crisis.
“We remain unwavering, clear about what we aim to achieve: our priorities and who our opposers are,” she asserted, emphasizing a campaign centered on tangible proposals as the antidote to far-right ideologies.
“Thus, my appeal is: fewer scenarios, fewer assumptions, fewer empty speeches, more solid proposals. Listen more to the people, speak directly to them,” she urged.
Asked about what sets BE apart from Livre in terms of proposals, Mortágua listed: “BE is the one advocating the taxation of large fortunes, proposing shift work subsidies, and ensuring rest for those who work in shifts. That’s why.”
