BE will meet at the national table this Saturday to discuss European election priorities

The National Council of the BU will meet this Saturday to discuss the party’s priorities for the European elections, the results of which will be announced at the end of the day by coordinator Mariana Mortagua at a rally with the participation of Catarina Martins.

An official source in the party told Lusa that the meeting of the highest body between congresses would take place today and would be devoted to discussing “the priorities of the Left Bloc in the next European elections.”

Instead of the usual press conference, the priorities emerging from the meeting of this body will be announced at a rally that the party will hold this afternoon in Lisbon.

The rally, entitled “Abril in the street!”, will feature BE coordinator Mariana Mortagua, as well as the head of the party’s list for the June 9 European elections and former coordinator Katarina Martins.

The name Katarina Martins was chosen to head the list blocking Europeans at the last meeting of the party’s National Council on March 16.

At the time, Mariana Mortagua believed that Catarina Martins “is one of the leaders of the European left with the most experience and the most recognition”, being “the strongest candidate the left can present”.

After a decade of leading BE, during which she led the party to its best but also one of its worst results in the 2022 legislative elections, Catarina Martins handed over testimony to Mariana Mortagua last year at the XIII National Convention.

She was first elected as an MP in the 2009 legislative elections, then as an independent candidate on the BE list and was re-elected in the next legislative elections as a member.

Katarina Martins was BE coordinator between 2012 and 2023. For the first two years, she held the position in partnership with João Semedo in an unprecedented “two-headed” leadership, a model that was abandoned in 2014 at the next National Convention.