Gouveia e Melo and Marques Mendes conclude the series of 28 presidential debates broadcast on RTP, SIC, and TVI, scheduled from November 17 to December 22, as stated in the calendar presented by the broadcasters to the candidates.
The complaint from Medialivre concerns its exclusion from these debates and the alleged agreement of exclusivity regarding the debates.
“Medialivre learned that the entities in question agreed to enter into another exclusivity agreement, this time concerning the presidential election debates,” the complaint states.
“The three free-to-air channels [FTA] proposed to the presidential candidates to hold 28 face-to-face debates during prime time. This represents a significant television investment by the generalist channels,” RTP, SIC, and TVI told Lusa on Tuesday.
“In this context, we consider that holding other debates during the same period is unreasonable as it would detract from the viewers’ attention, undermining the efforts of the three FTA channels and, secondly, the voters’ understanding, since it would reach significantly lower audiences,” they concluded.
In a statement regarding the television debates on the same day, the National Elections Commission (CNE) declared that “practices to dominate information by excluding media outlets are incompatible with the objectives to be ensured during election periods. These anti-competitive practices avoid free competition and constrain the goal of maximizing information through all available media to ensure the public service requirement of elections.”
In this context, it announced that it would communicate its position to the Regulatory Authority for the Media (ERC) and the Competition Authority (AdC) “for them to assess the facts and, if they deem it appropriate, to express their views within their respective competencies.”
The presidential elections have not yet been scheduled but are expected to be held on January 18, 2026.
