President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, speaking to journalists at the Carcavelos Campus of the Nova University of Lisbon in Cascais, mentioned watching the televised debate between António José Seguro and André Ventura on Monday night on TVI. This event marked the first of 28 debates among eight presidential candidates on general television channels.
Without commenting further on the debate, the head of state noted that these proceedings included more than 20 debates spanning over a month across various channels, stating that the chosen 21:00 slot is convenient for Portuguese viewers.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa remarked on the diversity of candidates, highlighting the significance of such discussions for public clarity during the electoral process.
The President pointed out that exactly two months remain until the presidential elections. These debates coincide with the submission period for candidacies, which ends on December 18 and requires a minimum of 7,500 signatures from registered voters.
Describing the period as short yet rich, Rebelo de Sousa expressed confidence in achieving comprehensive voter understanding, similar to previous elections.
He observed the pre-electoral period’s heavy reliance on media coverage, especially television, which reaches most Portuguese citizens, contrasting with traditional street campaigning that characterized earlier presidential elections in Portugal.
When asked if current debates pose more challenges and difficulties compared to his time, the President affirmed that they do.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized that these televised face-offs will continue almost until Christmas, until December 22. Extended debates among candidates, including radio discussions and interviews, will provide ample opportunity for public enlightenment.
“The overlap requires significant effort, hence a lot of work for the candidates, but also a substantial amount of information for the citizens,” he stated.
The eight candidates participating in the televised debates are Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Luís Marques Mendes backed by PSD, António José Seguro supported by PS, André Ventura representing Chega, António Filipe with PCP support, Catarina Martins endorsed by BE, João Cotrim Figueiredo for IL, and Jorge Pinto from Livre.
According to the campaign portal of the Ministry of Internal Administration, 31 additional citizens are currently gathering signatures to qualify as presidential candidates.
