Miguel Poiares Maduro provided an analysis on Sunday evening on RTP regarding Luís Montenegro’s stance on engaging in televised debates with political opponents ahead of the Legislative Elections set for May 18.
The social-democrat criticized the prime minister’s “poor and questionable decision” to delegate some of these debates to Nuno Melo, claiming that this choice lacks “any criteria” or relies on a “subjective criterion.”
“By selecting whom he debates with, Luís Montenegro also chooses what topics are discussed, thus shifting the election focus away from personal issues and toward the government. [Because] his significant advantage is the government, which enjoys popularity that could enable a victory for the AD,” highlighted the former Minister for Regional Development, emphasizing that debates should be “determined by journalists.”
Even though it is subject to criticism, Poiares Maduro noted that avoiding debates, as well as “holding press conferences without journalists’ questions […] “is regrettably not new to Portuguese politics.”
“Pedro Nuno Santos, who now criticizes and rightly so, previously refused to debate with José Luís Carneiro during the PS leadership elections,” he recalled, adding that “António Costa did the same [holding press conferences without questions] several times.”
“Unfortunately, within Portuguese political culture, there is this tradition among political leaders — when they find it more beneficial, believing or assuming they’re leading and unwilling to risk losing that lead — of wanting to choose candidates whose topics they deem more favorable in a debate, resulting in such decisions,” stated the former MEP.
In Poiares Maduro’s view, this is “troubling, in the long run, for our democracy” and “explains why people are losing confidence in our political class.”
It should be noted that Luís Montenegro desires to debate only with PS, Chega, Iniciativa Liberal, and PCP. For the other debates with parties holding parliamentary seats – BE, Livre, and PAN – the Democratic Alliance (AD) has ‘appointed’ Nuno Melo.
