The editorial director of Medialivre, Carlos Rodrigues, stated that the matter at hand is a legal action to implement the decision made by the Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (ERC).
“This is a decision that mandates RTP, SIC, and TVI, the architects of a cartelization strategy in electoral debates and the commercialization of the presidential election debate, to open up to other operators, namely CMTV and Now,” Carlos Rodrigues declared, emphasizing the importance of inclusive debates.
Carlos Rodrigues further expressed that Medialivre would not hinder the debates, but rather encourage participation: “We want to foster maximum participation and viewership in debates, reaching more Portuguese citizens,” he remarked.
On Friday, following Medialivre’s complaint, the ERC recommended that the organization of debates for the January 18, 2026, presidential elections should include cooperation with other significant operators willing to expand the information space.
TVI and SIC interpreted the ERC’s decision as a recommendation, asserting that the regulator did not challenge the proposal agreed upon by the candidates and the three free-to-air broadcasters.
The broadcasters clarified in their arguments to the ERC that the agreement between TVI, SIC, and RTP involved no exclusive rights or obligations on candidate participation, permitting other operators to organize their initiatives freely.
SIC argued that the debate model, developed collaboratively with RTP and TVI, stemmed from editorial freedom aimed at maximizing information dissemination and pluralism, ensuring debates are broadcast openly to the public.
SIC maintained that there is no legal obligation to co-organize debates among all operators and that Medialivre has the liberty to conduct its debates and election coverage as it has traditionally done.
Conversely, Medialivre believes the ERC’s decision should be adhered to. “We are in the right. Documents from the CNE and ERC support us (…). We advocate for more participative and lively debates that reach a broader audience,” Carlos Rodrigues asserted.
The series of 28 presidential debates set to take place on the three main channels – RTP, SIC, and TVI – is scheduled to begin today with a debate on TVI featuring André Ventura, leader of Chega, and António José Seguro, supported by the PS.
