Mariana Mortágua confirmed yesterday that she is a candidate to succeed Catarina Martins in the leadership of the Bloco de Esquerda (BE), and it was also clear that the internal opposition gathered in Movement E, however, should not make the challenge personal in a competitive candidature .
Mortágua, 36 years old and a Member of Parliament since she was 26, with a PhD in economics, presented her candidacy at a press conference at BE’s headquarters in Lisbon. Being a follow-up candidacy, it was immediately endorsed by Catarina Martins. “No one doubts Mariana’s preparation, work capacity and competence. I know that she will now prove to the country what I already know so well: generosity and dedication in each of the fights for a fairer country. Strength, Mariana Mortágua,” the still wrote leader of the blockade, in her official account on the social network Twitter.
Mortágua, for his part, also praised Catarina. “This journey of consistency and this renewed impetus of the Bloco de Esquerda bears the stamp of Catarina Martins. Her time as coordinator of the Bloco opened new paths, instilled confidence in the population, she was the best spokesperson in turbulent times and I am sure that now that she has decided to end her mandate as coordinator of the Bloc, Catarina will continue to mark us with her consistency, with her strength and we count on her for that,” he said. “What I can say – and I think I speak for all the blockers – is that we are counting on her in the future, for all functions of BE, for all the work ahead,” he added.
No one doubts Mariana’s preparation, work capacity and competence. I know he will now prove to the country what I already know so well: generosity and dedication in each of the fights for a fairer country. Power, @MR Mortagua
@PauleteMatos pic.twitter.com/XuDcGVSZcR
– Catarina Martins (@catarina_mart) February 27, 2023
Mariana Mortágua also said: “We will show the country – and I hope António Costa is listening carefully – that the politics of fear cannot win and that it is not enough to put a scarecrow at the door against the people to be able to govern. more than that and that is BE’s job.”
As he said, “the peace of the PS is to think that faced with a lost PSD and without a program, it can use the fear of the extreme right to guarantee it an eternal absolute majority”. “That is why we see that the PS is committed to promoting a dispute with Chega, even knowing that in this way it feeds the extreme right in Portugal,” he criticized.
So: “BE’s responsibility is to show that only an alternative to the left can create answers for people who are annoyed by inflation, for people who are annoyed by the decay of important issues in democracy, such as education, such as health or justice.” . .
The main internal group opposing the bloquista’s leadership, embodied in motion E (“A multi-bloc for a left alternative – a challenge we can win”), seems to rule out a candidacy for the party’s leadership. A candidacy for the party’s National Council will be presented, reminding former deputy Pedro Soares that “the figure of the coordinator does not appear in the statutes”. In his view, the E motion “also represents an E of hope in the possibility of this convention triggering a change of direction for the bloc.” “We have heard a lot about continuity. We want to stop this path of loss of political, social, electoral influence by the Bloc. We think it is essential that there is a change of course.”
The XIII BE convention will take place in Lisbon on 27 and 28 May.
Source: DN
