At the sidelines of the XIV National Convention of BE, Francisco Louçã expressed “great appreciation” for Mariana Mortágua’s leadership in the party, highlighting her “extraordinary combativeness and dignity” and referring to her participation in a humanitarian flotilla to Gaza as one of the “most generous and extraordinary acts in Portuguese politics.”
“I don’t blame Mariana for errors. The Bloc suffered and lost in these elections. In the first election she participated in, the vote count increased. Later, during the political crisis caused by Montenegro, it faced its strongest electoral defeat,” he said, noting that the main discussion at this convention is “how to organize a left that is consistent with itself.”
Regarding whether former deputy José Manuel Pureza is the right person to lead the party now, Louçã described him as “a strong choice,” possessing experience “like few people within the Bloc, in unitary work and bringing together different currents.”
“Recently, he was discussing with Pope Francis about the dialogue between Marxists and Christians. This is a rarity in the world. His engagement with Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Rui Rio, and many others in a movement to legalize assisted dying demonstrates his ability to break down barriers,” he emphasized.
The former BE coordinator is keen to see the internal discussions on “the decision to fight where it is most difficult.”
“Today, young people are predominantly far-right. Hate speech has become so trivialized that it polluted the democratic life. This is a battle where the left must regain ground, enthusiasm, capacity for struggle, and political expression,” he asserted.
Louçã suggested that “perhaps this is a change so profound that it requires immense capacity, attention, curiosity, and willingness.”
“We must speak to people’s intelligence, their heart, their soul, and their mind,” he stated.
The party founder dismissed the idea of BE’s disappearance, pointing to the “very strong roots” of the party, which shares a “difficulty common to the entire left.”
“I think it would be naive for anyone on the left to be pleased. The far-right is the second party in Portugal, and we have a fascist in the White House. If anyone is satisfied, they are not seeing the big picture,” he warned.
