At the end of last week it became known that the PS and the Democratic Alliance (AD) refused the model of debates proposed by television for the European elections on June 9, in which 28 face-to-face meetings between the party list leaders were planned. with representation in the Assembly of the Republic.
However, it became known that RTP, SIC and TVI submitted a new debate proposal for the European elections on Sunday afternoon.
Why the refusal?
The PS and AD justified their rejection of the model with the fact that there would be a high number of duels, which would affect the electoral campaign, and admitted to accepting a lighter calendar.
What else did the parties say?
On Saturday, the PS leader expressed the party’s willingness to participate in debates with all the candidates for the European Championships, considering that the proposal of the 28 face to face was excessive because the campaign is not only carried out on television.
According to Pedro Nuno Santos, his party has to “campaign on the streets, in the territory, with people” and not spend “all the time in debates and commenting on debates”.
The head of the AD list for the Europeans, Sebastião Bugalho, stated that the model of debates for this type of elections is unprecedented and it will be necessary to reconcile the interest of television with the pre-campaign calendar.
“The model of debates advanced by television had never happened in a European election. It is natural that candidates still have to get used to the fact that this model has been proposed”, said the AD candidate.
The head of the PCP list for the European elections, João Oliveira, today accused the PS and AD of not wanting to “confront themselves with scrutiny” in television debates, arguing that the refusal harms the mobilization of the electorate to the polls.
IL leader Rui Rocha also accused these two parties of inflicting “an attack on democracy” because they were “trying to prevent” debates on the European elections with all parties.
BE today threatened to take precautionary measures if the television stations insist on holding a face-to-face meeting only between PS and AD as part of the campaign for the European elections, considering that it would be “a manifest illegality”. The blockers consider that “a model of face-to-face debates between the different candidacies would be the most inclusive, democratic and enlightening”, regretting that PS and AD refused the 28 debates initially proposed by television.
So what does the debate calendar look like?
It is now known that the new debate proposal for the European elections sent by television to the parties foresees three debates with all forces with parliamentary seats and a face-to-face PS and Democratic Alliance.
Thus, the new proposal sent by RTP, SIC and TVI includes debates with the eight list leaders of the parties with parliamentary seats simultaneously on the 14th, 21st and 28th of May and a face-to-face between PS and Aliança Democrática (coalition that brings together PSD, CDS-PP and PPM) on the 23rd, according to party sources.
*With Lusa
