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In the debate between the Secretary-General of the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, and the coordinator of BE, Mariana Mortágua, marking both their debuts in head-to-heads for the legislative elections, key differences emerged surrounding housing, defense, and immigration. However, both leaders expressed criticism towards what they see as the Portuguese Government’s inaction regarding U.S. tariffs.
As the discussion drew to a close, the topic of governance highlighted contrasting views, with Pedro Nuno Santos stating that “an alternative to AD will only exist if the PS wins these elections”, reminding that in 2024 the President of the Republic invited the most voted party to form a Government.
“I want to ask the Portuguese people and left-leaning voters not to disperse their votes because we could have had a PS Government today and not the AD ruling if it weren’t for the vote dispersion we experienced a year ago”, he urged, recalling that the PS lost by about 50,000 votes, while BE garnered approximately 280,000 votes in that election.
Replying, Mariana Mortágua argued against this notion, stating that “first place doesn’t determine anything.”
“What Pedro Nuno Santos is saying when he wants to be the most voted and anticipates support from the PSD is that he has a silver bullet, and this silver bullet of Pedro Nuno Santos is Luís Montenegro”, she critiqued.
According to the BE leader, the PS leader is waiting for the Prime Minister, whom he accuses daily of being “untrustworthy,” to “give him the trust to govern based on his support.”
Regarding the BE’s willingness to enter a post-election agreement, similar to 2015, Mortágua responded that “there always is.”
