Mariana Mortagua asks “who is afraid” of Montenegro in the debate with PCP and Livre

BE coordinator Mariana Mortagua asked this Thursday “who is Luis Montenegro afraid of” for not wanting to debate with the PCP and Livre, denying that in democracy there are “two leagues” and the parties must be treated equally.

At the end of a visit to Liceu Camões in Lisbon, Mariana Mortagua was asked about the controversy surrounding the televised debate after the Democratic Alliance (AD) said that it would be CDS-PP leader Nuno Melo, and not PSD President Luis Montenegro, who would debate with Livre and the PCP. what these parties refused.

“I believe that debate should take place and that party leaders should represent their party and their coalitions, treating all parties equally. Otherwise, it makes no sense, and this is how the democratic process and democratic debate are carried out,” he believes.

The BE leader said she doesn’t know “what Luis Montenegro is afraid of, that he doesn’t want to have this debate.”

Asked if she would refuse to participate in the debate if she were in the same situation as the PCP and Livre, Mortagua reiterated that “the rule is that all debates are carried out by representatives of each coalition and each party.”

“In democracy there are no two leagues, there is no first league and second league. All debates have the same importance, all parties have the same importance,” he emphasized.

Emphasizing the BU’s respect for democracy, the bloc leader said she expects parties and coalitions to “present their main representative” for this debate.

“It was with this presumption and this idea that we entered and agreed to participate in the debate, and I think anything else makes no sense,” he said.

Regarding the refusal of PS leader Pedro Nuno Santos to meet by radio with Luis Montenegro, the BE coordinator resorted to the same arguments.

“I repeat: democracy is about clarifying ideas. Each representative of each party is a representative for a reason, because he casts his vote for the ideas of the party, he casts his vote for the electoral program, although some parties did not do this. She also presented her election program,” he said.

According to Mortagua, “campaigns serve to clarify ideas, exchange ideas, present electoral programs.”

“Every representative of every party is required to participate in debates, which are a democratic way of educating voters, and so it seems to me reasonable and prudent for all party representatives to conduct the debates that are scheduled.

The representative of Livre said this Thursday that he is ready to change the “time, day and place” of the debate with the PSD president after the Democratic Alliance nominated the centrist Nuno Melo for this face-to-face meeting.

This Thursday, the PCP demanded that PSD President Luis Montenegro reconsider his absence from the personal meeting with the HDZ scheduled for Saturday on RTP-1 and confirmed the presence of Paulo Raimundo at the facilities of this television. .

On Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance said it had made it clear “from the first conversation” with television channels that SDS-PP President Nuno Melo would represent the coalition in debates with Livre and the CDU, “similar to what happened in 2015.”