“Polls exist to suit every taste, and sometimes they serve to influence voting rather than reflect reality. However, on the left, in the polls that have been published, I am modestly the best-positioned candidate who is clearly identified as left-wing and can pursue that path,” stated the former coordinator of the BE during her visit to the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança.
Catarina Martins emphasized several times that her candidacy “is not defined by any specific party,” and the presence of multiple left-wing candidates is not a problem, even after Livre’s candidate, Jorge Pinto, mentioned in an interview with RTP that he is willing to withdraw in favor of a strong left-wing candidate.
“It’s important that the left does not disappear and asserts itself, without being ashamed of its identity,” said Catarina Martins.
The presidential candidate also highlighted the approval of a medical course at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro in Vila Real. Catarina Martins noted that “having medical training across the territory is crucial,” but regretted that the Health Minister declined to meet with temporary doctors threatening to strike, criticizing a “reckless” and “insensitive” stance from the government.
“The solution to healthcare access should not rely on a National Health Service (SNS) dependent on temporary doctors but should ensure that the SNS has the necessary teams to guarantee healthcare access throughout the country. We cannot cut careers and diminish the capacity of healthcare professionals in the SNS and then say we do not want temporary staff. Who is supporting the hospitals? Who is holding up the emergency rooms?” she questioned.
Another positive development she mentioned was the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s decision to demand that EDP pay more than 300 million euros in taxes related to the six dams in Trás-os-Montes.
Catarina Martins asserted that large companies are not above the law, and therefore, EDP must also pay due taxes, even if it has the opportunity to appeal the decision, and despite the Finance Minister, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, describing the collection of this money as “premature.”
“I understand that any taxpayer can appeal, and I know that EDP has ample funds to pay many lawyers for multiple appeals, but the first demand from a government should be to assert, ‘Companies doing business here must pay taxes here,’ and it is shameful for the government to suggest otherwise,” she concluded.
The presidential candidate visited the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança on the same day as candidate António Filipe.
