The BE’s official website announced that with 79.8% of the national vote, motion ‘A’ titled “Resist to Turn the Game Around” has elected 498 delegates.
This motion was led by Mariana Mortágua, the current coordinator of BE, who announced on October 25 that she does not intend to seek re-election as the party’s coordinator, noting that her leadership failed to “generate a new political and electoral momentum.”
The majority motion, which has the largest number of supporters, is now headed by José Manuel Pureza, a former vice-president of the Assembly of the Republic. He emerges as the leading candidate for the National Board (the highest body between conventions) and the Political Commission (the body that ensures daily management) on lists associated with this motion.
The leader of the most voted list to the National Board at the National Convention typically assumes the position of coordinator—a role not formally stated in the party’s statutes.
Following motion ‘A’ is motion ‘S’, titled “New Course,” with 11.1% of the votes, electing 55 delegates.
This motion includes members who were part of Mariana Mortágua’s list to the National Board at the last party convention in 2023, such as the leader Adelino Fortunato and former members of the Assembly of the Republic, Heitor Sousa and Alexandra Vieira.
Motion ‘H’, “Time to Restart,” received 4.2% of the votes and 19 delegates, motion ‘C’, “More Block, Less Trends,” 0.8% of the votes and 13 delegates, while motion ‘B’, “Rebuild for a New Political Cycle,” garnered 2.9% of the votes and 13 delegates.
All opposing motions to the current leadership point to a lack of internal democracy and call for more attention to the grassroots.
The local political platform “Inner Porto” obtained 1% of the votes and elected seven delegates and the “Portalegre” platform, with 0.3% of the votes, elected five delegates.
There were also 4% null votes and 0.63% blank votes recorded.
The 14th National Convention of BE is scheduled for the 29th and 30th in Lisbon.
BE is facing one of the most challenging times in its history, having achieved its worst-ever result in legislative elections in May this year, dropping from five to a single deputy, and losing local representation from five councilors and 94 municipal deputies to one councilor in Lisbon and a total of 17 deputies in local councils and parishes.
