The call to action was made as follows: “Defeating the labor package is the immediate task arising from the convention. We will work towards mobilization on the streets (…) We will make the cost of wage theft too high to bear. On December 11, we will bring the country to a halt, and until then, everyone should join the general strike,” a statement that was met with applause from delegates at the XIV Convention of BE.
In a rare moment that energized the audience at the Pavilhão do Casal Vistoso in Lisbon, following a morning of critiques regarding the party’s “operational habits” and concerns about dwindling militancy, Isabel Pires highlighted the inclusive sentiment that “everyone is needed.”
Representing motion A, Isabel Pires accepted the role for which she was nominated, as the secretary for organization, emphasizing, “organization isn’t everything, but without it, nothing gets done.”
She outlined several initiatives to “make the Bloc more open, welcoming, and participatory,” including creating “clear communication channels,” welcoming new members and activists, implementing a training program in preparation, supporting and participating in “workplace struggles,” and backing local politicians.
Isabel Pires affirmed that the Bloc’s “transformative strength” remains intact, asserting, “if capitalism tarnishes democracy’s name,” the party’s role is to reclaim it. She praised José Manuel Pureza’s “generosity,” noting that the new coordinator approaches “all struggles with generosity, openness, combativeness, and solidarity.”
Regarding Mariana Mortágua, who is stepping down from party leadership at this Convention, Isabel Pires acknowledged that “all the wealthy and powerful” in the country know her name and commended her commitment to defending workers and advocating for “a better world.”
Earlier, representatives of the minority motions spoke, with Alexandra Vieira of motion S lamenting that the Bloc is “a young party in age but old in habits” and calling for changes in “processes and how dissenting voices are addressed,” urging an end to “the strange balances that most members do not understand but that solidify the leadership onto itself.”
She said, “The times are harsh, horrible, and demanding. We are few on this side of the barricade. Therefore, everyone counts in the massive task of lifting this party from the ground. This Convention may have been a walk in the park for motion A. There is no denying it. Even so, it’s possible to envision that with common sense, maturity, responsibility, and dialogue, a different or even new life is possible for the Bloc. It’s a path of two possibilities: wither or rebirth.”
Amália Oliveira of motion H argued that the Bloc needs to “use the bad moment to understand that it is time to rethink the party’s structure, acknowledge past mistakes, and let go of centralism,” advocating for a “collective leadership, rotation, and term limits,” as well as a transparency portal detailing the accounts, income, and assets of the leadership.
Ana Sofia Ligeiro of motion B pointed out that 10.7% of the party’s members are present at the Convention and urged the leadership to “clean up the electoral rolls and recognize the real size of the party,” calling for the “restoration of a climate of trust that allows everyone to contribute fully to the party’s reconstruction.”
José Carita Monteiro of motion C highlighted the “difficulty in establishing and frankly influencing the interior and local power” as the “great original sin” of BE and emphasized that “with greater urgency than in 2009, a broad left is needed.”
