The electoral campaign officially begins today, two weeks before the elections scheduled for May 18, concluding at midnight on the eve of the poll. A key event of the day is the televised debate featuring eight leaders from parliamentary parties.
The debate, set for 9:30 p.m., will be broadcast simultaneously by RTP1 and RTP3, live from Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) in Carcavelos, Lisbon, with journalist Carlos Daniel moderating the discussion.
Earlier in the day, despite the debate set in Lisbon, the three largest political parties are starting their voter outreach in the north of the country. The AD party, led by Luís Montenegro, schedules events in Bragança, meeting people at the Feira das Cantarinha in the morning, and in the afternoon, will move to Barcelos for the Festa das Cruzes.
The Socialist Party, under the leadership of Secretary-General Pedro Nuno Santos, will begin in Viana do Castelo, in Ponte de Lima, and like Montenegro, will spend the afternoon in Braga district, specifically in Guimarães, engaging with the public.
André Ventura, leader of Chega, plans to be in the central region, with a campaign lunch scheduled in the district of Guarda.
All leaders will conclude their day in Carcavelos, while IL, Livre, CDU, BE, and PAN maintain proximity, with agendas spread across Lisbon and Setúbal districts.
The Liberal Initiative (IL) will spend the campaign’s first official day in Setúbal district, visiting Livramento Market in the morning, followed by public engagement activities and a lunch.
Livre has planned a Sunday morning campaign event at 10:00 a.m. at the Vila Market in Cascais.
The CDU has organized a lunch in Vila Franca de Xira, followed by participation in the Marcha do Trabalho in Seixal.
The Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda) will be in Almada, Setúbal district, for an initiative titled “European Left with the Bloc,” featuring representatives from leftist parties from Finland, Spain, and France. PAN leader Inês de Sousa Real will be active in Cascais.
The legislative elections will take place on May 18, occurring slightly over a year and two months after the last elections, prompted by the resignation of the PSD/CDS-PP Government led by Luís Montenegro after a no-confidence motion was rejected by parliament on March 11.
A total of 21 parties and/or coalitions are contesting the elections.
