A certainly important debate for the first round of the Presidential elections had different moments. First, António José Seguro and Luís Marques Mendes were more in agreement than opposed. That’s how it was in court. “I am very worried about what I read today and what happened two years ago. After two years there is no fact that proves the investigation into António Costa. These are transcriptions of wiretaps that make no sense in this process. Justice must be competent. Costa was prime minister, we lost a government, the country had political stability and no one responds. This cannot be so. It’s a serious situation”, began Seguro.
Marques Mendes considered Justice “sick” and asked for a “pact.” “We have to bring positions closer. PSD and PS have not come closer. The Council of State that I announced is necessary. There is a violation of judicial secrecy, it is yet another and it is serious. It cannot be resolved by reporting to journalists. Whoever passed on information should be investigated”, commented the social democrat. Afterwards, he established close ties with António José Seguro. “I agree that Operation Influencer is not archived or facing charges. The investigation cannot be without limitation. It’s regrettable for more than two years like this. During Operation Influencer, 75 thousand euros were discovered in the office of the Prime Minister’s chief of staff. There were no explanations. The political class has to come together and make agreements”, he said.
The tone became more tense immediately afterwards. “I want explanations, but more than that. I’m more interventionist than SeguroI want justice reform. It starts with an intra-party understanding”, said Marques Mendes in his first barb to the opponent.
Insurance reacted. “It’s important to say that Marques Mendes has been a State Councilor for 15 years. Why didn’t he advise?”, he asked. “It is essential to demand accountability. The banking cartel was ordered to pay 225 million euros, why didn’t they pay? The country cannot live with a justice system like this, which allows cases to be prescribed. Things happen, people regret it and no one is called to stone. We live in a democratic state of law and Justice must be held accountable”he concluded.
Insurance sees no danger in Marques Mendes
Seguro acknowledged that he does not see “danger” in Marques Mendes, but recalled that the country needs someone who is more socially concerned. “Marques Mendes is not a danger”, declared António José Seguro emphatically, assuming, however, that there is “an imbalance in the country on the right, which has command in the regional government of the Azores, Madeira, parishes, chambers and Parliament”. “The country stands to gain from balancing the system”, he argues.
Regarding the differences, Seguro says he believes that “independence is something that we are all guided by as President of the Republic”, but that “The question is whether the country doesn’t need someone more connected to social needs.” “Marques Mendes belongs to the center-right, I belong to the center-left”, he says.
Marques Mendes responded that “independence has nothing to do with belonging to a party. Soares, Sampaio, Marcelo and Cavaco were independent.” Then, he reacted to the provocation of the right dominating the political panorama. “For 20 years or so, there have been eggs in the same basket. Seguro was part of the eggs in the basket and did not complain about the concentration of powers. It’s normal, it’s natural. It is important to know whether whoever holds the presidency is impartial and equidistant”, he stressed, remembering the hegemony of PS with Soares, Guterres and later Sampaio.
He highlighted points in common with Seguro, but quickly picked up on the barbs. “We have convergences: moderation, independence. But Seguro favors statements of a generic nature, I want to be more interventionist. It’s his way. I want to advance in the social field, with enormous social sensitivity. It is necessary to combat poverty, because the situation is very serious and the my civil house will have more social advisors than politicians”, he promised.
Seguro then attacked Marques Mendes in a government that the Social Democrat was not part of. “I argued that there were anti-corruption plans. This would be useful during the time of the Marques Mendes government on the issue of privatizing TAP”, he said.
However, the insinuation deserved a response. “I’ve never been in a government with the privatization of TAP. It was from Passos Coelho and I wasn’t there as a minister”, responded Marques Mendes. “It was from your party”, explains Seguro, recognizing the error.
Seguro attacks Montenegro’s negotiations with Chega
The socialist sees “different times” to warn of the need for the left to be represented in the Presidency. “Before, there could be no constitutional review of the PSD without the vote of the PS. And now PS votes would not be needed. Parliament is fragmented. In two essential laws, foreigners and nationality, on common ground, in democracy, the choice was the right. Your party made a deal on the right. A balance is needed. Hence considering that I bring together aggregation, moderation and another spectrum”, he said, criticizing the stance of the Montenegro government.
Then, he protested with the accusation of not being specific in his proposals. “I have to respond. I’m talking about access to time and Health hours in this Health pact. I’m talking about concrete situations for access to consultations. As for Poverty, I’m not going to hold any forum on Poverty, it will be in the priorities of the first meeting with the Prime Minister. We need a century to eliminate it if we continue like this. Today, the majority of poor people are grandchildren of poor people. There is no social elevator in Portugal”, asserted Seguro.
Marques Mendes would take office at Chega with a constitutional error
Marques Mendes states that “if Chega wins elections, the Constitution orders the government to be nominated”, he claims, ignoring the fact that other majorities can be found, which infers that the Constitution does not effectively oblige the person with the most votes to nominate.
The Social Democrat says he would set conditions. “The difference is being more proactive or less proactive. It is a party with unconstitutional proposals such as the death penalty and life imprisonment. You cannot legislate on these matters. If these are unconstitutional, I will not grant possession until there is a written guarantee. I am the only candidate who has this question. It is the complete absurdity and degradation of having a prime minister with unconstitutional measures”, he says.
Seguro was faced with the same question and, in short, said: “For me, there are no governments against the Constitution.”
Exchange of pitches in labor law and announcement by Marques Mendes in accordance with UGT
Marques Mendes sides with the Government on labor law. “I don’t understand Seguro’s point of view regarding labor law. Everyone asks for reforms and then they say that this is not the time. A President of the Republic only speaks and vetoes when he receives the text. The document at this point will not be similar to the final one because it will have a lot of changes”, he argues, noting that there are areas such as “teleworking, digital transition, artificial intelligence”, which deserve attention.
However, he asks for “balance and negotiation with UGT.” He goes even further and guarantees that “there will be an agreement with the UGT after the strike.”
António José Seguro acknowledges that he has said that the “President of the Republic should not speak in negotiation processes”, however, he considered that labor law should be an exception. “I have already said, given the sensitivity of this issue, that I tend to have a negative reading in the terms known so far. I pondered this word. Why this reform? Why isn’t the end of wage inequality or the stimulation of companies a priority?”, he asked. Then, he attacked Montenegro: “This law was not part of the government’s electoral program. The PSD should have presented this clearly and we need transparency in democracy.”
Defense has common points, but Seguro wants European investment, Marques Mendes thought the 5% from the NATO summit was important
In Defense, António José Seguro says he doesn’t understand the “5% increase in Defense spending.” “Admitting an increase, it is necessary to spend better. In 2023, the European Union, with the United Kingdom and Norway, spent three times more on military expenditure than Russia. Instead of each armed force having its own tank, there could be economies of scale”, he considered.
Afterwards, he positioned himself in favor of investment in Europe and not dependent on weapons from the United States of Europe: “I choose to have European scientific systems and buy European products. The technology must have dual application: Defense and Economy. They can provide stimulus and incentives to the Economy.”
As for Ukraine, he was more sparse in words. “I hope there will be a ceasefire. Negotiations cannot put Europe’s security at risk. International law must be respected”, mentioning the need for “a debate” to assess the member states of the EU and NATO.
Marques Mendes began by saying that “in essence” he “agrees” with Seguro. “Investments are needed in State Budgets and European funds”, he says, considering it “difficult” to reach 5% investment in Defense. He sees decisive results at the NATO summit: “The strategic point is that the end of NATO would be discussed, so there was a strategic vision.”
As for Ukraine, he states that it would be “It is important to have a peace agreement, which guarantees the security of the European Union, Ukraine and that Ukraine can be able to join the European Union.”
This was the 14th debate out of 28 scheduled for these Presidential elections. It should be remembered that António José Seguro, former general secretary, has the support of the Socialist Party. Luís Marques Mendes, former president of the PSD, has declared support from the Social Democrats and the CDS-PP.