Mariana Mortagua says her leadership will not represent a “political shift”.

Esquerda Bloc coordinator Mariana Mortagua said on Monday that her leadership would not represent a “political shift” in the face of the line the party has taken, defending that the Blocists have “consistency” in their political agenda.

“I don’t think it would be expected and I don’t think it would be good to present people with a political shift because it changes the face of the party,” the new leader said in an interview with TVI and CNN Portugal. the first since being elected at the XIII National Convention of the British Empire, which was held in Lisbon over the weekend.

Mariana Mortagua emphasized that “BS is consistent in its ideas, consistent in its political program, it has a good political program that allows it to respond to the problems of the country” and “it is and will be a strong left, an alternative to PS”.

Regarding the motto she put forward when she presented herself in the internal elections – “good life” for the people – the coordinator emphasized that “this is not a state of mind, this is a political program, it is responsible to people for what is important to them.” their”.

As for next year’s European elections, he reiterated the goal he set at the end of the Magna meeting, pointing out that BE’s goal is to “get ahead of Chega and IL” and assert itself “as a third political force”.

If this does not happen, the coordinator refused to be a defeat for her: “We do not personify either defeat or victory in BE, we make predictions, bets, we have the will, we express the will. the third force in the Europeans, BE has the will, the enthusiasm and the strength to do it, and so I clearly understand this goal,” he defended.

Mariana Mortagua believed that “this legislature will run out of steam”, but pointed out that “if it ends sooner, the responsibility for it will lie with the government, which contributes much to the degradation of political life and its own conditions of confidence and stability”. “. .

The blockist leader argued that “The government is exhausted not by threats, words, deeds, deeds”, but rather “a crisis in people’s lives”, emphasizing that “there is a social crisis and because of it an institutional crisis”.

The BE coordinator asked the government to show “common sense” and “provide solutions for the country”, arguing that “what saves the country from the right is deciding people’s lives”.

Mariana Mortagua emphasized that in an absolute majority scenario, “social pressures can change policies” and considered that the protests the country is witnessing are not just “because people are evil”, but because “they want solutions for your lives” .

And he said that he believed that when the Portuguese were called to the legislative elections, the party would be able to double the number of deputies it currently has (five), arguing that “that’s what the polls say.”

Also, when asked about Operation Tutti Frutti and suspicions of collusion between the PS and the PSD in the 2017 municipal elections in Lisbon revealed in a series of TVI/CNN reports, the new blockist leader said she “sees nothing surprising”.

“This center of business, this center of power, which then makes its party leaders circulate through the high posts of the civil service, controls the state machine and has been known to everyone for many years,” he said, noting that he did not understand, “how can you say that the party leaders of the parties that make up this center are surprised by these practices, which everyone knows and which everyone has seen over the past few years.”

And he criticized justice delays: “I think it’s a justice problem when we realize that there is a case of this size, with such seriousness and importance for democracy, and six years later, the relevant people in this case have not been heard and there is no indictment.” conclusions.”