In a debate in which confrontation over policies and priorities was expected, it was past choices that dominated the first part of the discussion, this Saturday (6) night, on SIC. Having both spent more than a quarter of an hour discussing the period of troikaCatarina Martins accused Seguro of having negotiated agreements that, in her opinion, brought the former PS leader closer to right-wing options; António José Seguro responded vehemently, denying alliances and defending that his decisions were the result of “conviction” and “national interest”.
The exchange of accusations focused on episodes between 2012 and 2015: abstentions in budgets, negotiations with other parties and measures adopted in the context of the financial assistance period. Catarina Martins maintained that some Seguro decisions harmed social rights and moved the PS away from a clearly left-wing stance. António José Seguro countered that, in a time of crisis, the priority was to avoid institutional collapse and guarantee cohesion: “Between partisanship and the national interest, I chose the national interest”, he stated.
Seguro went further by criticizing the political strategy defended by Catarina, accusing her of sympathizing with Greek Syriza-style solutions and warning of the risks of this path: “What this resulted in was more suffering, less pensions, less wages and more suffering for the Greek people”, he said, using the Greek experience as an example of the dangers of radical ruptures.
Listening, Public Prosecutor’s Office and… plan for SMEs
Finally, it was possible to enter into current cases. The wiretaps of the Influencer process served as a pretext for criticizing the functioning of the institutions, with Catarina Martins stating that the disclosure of the wiretaps weakens the role of the Attorney General of the Republic. Seguro demanded explanations from the MP and promised, if elected, to summon the PGR to Belém: “The Public Prosecutor’s Office has to come and explain what is happening”, declared the former BE leader, highlighting the need for clear answers about the case and the importance of swift and transparent justice.
It was at this point that concrete proposals emerged. António José Seguro presented a national plan for mergers and acquisitions of small and medium-sized companies, arguing that business consolidation can create more robust structures, increase competitiveness and retain young people in the country through the creation of qualified jobs.
Catarina Martins proposed a public investment strategy in innovation and the decentralized production of solar energy as an example of an industrial policy capable of generating employment and local value. However, the proposals received less airtime than the confrontation over political memory.
Even so, the insistence on reopening past wounds conditioned the agenda and reduced the space to discuss detailed measures on the economy, health and education. Both candidates tried, sometimes with limited success, to shift attention to programmatic proposals, but the narrative about who best represents the left ended up dominating the session.