"We learned yesterday [Friday] night that PSD and PS do not want to hold debates between the top candidates for the European elections after all. I cannot help but record that those who say so often that it is necessary to combat abstention, who say so often that European politics is very important, when the time comes to debate, think it is better not to debate", she said.

Catarina Martins began her speech at the meeting "Social Security and pensions", in Lisbon, addressing this topic, indicating that she had changed her schedule to be able to be there face to face and accused PS and PSD of wanting to "hide and hide their top candidates".

The former leader of BE accused these two parties of having presented "ridiculous arguments, such as there being 28 debates in 30 days" and said that each candidate "only had to do seven debates", arguing that "seven debates in 30 days is surely within the capacity of anyone who takes elections and democracy seriously".

Speaking to Lusa and RTP after the opening of the meeting, the top candidate of BE considered that not having debates "is absolutely unacceptable" and that this format allows "the various proposals to be confronted".

"Bloco Esquerda has already accepted the proposal to have debates between all the top candidates. We think that there really have to be debates between all the top candidates, it is face to face that ideas are exchanged", defended Catarina Martins.

The top candidate said she was unaware of the new proposal, but insisted that there should be "debates between all the candidacies".

Pointing out that "it is not the first time that there has been a face to face between the various top candidates, because when there was no agreement between all the television channels, RTP already did this", the candidate considered that "the novelty will be if this time there are no face to face debates between the various top candidates".

"It would be absolutely unacceptable. I hope for a new proposal, but it seems to me that the proposal that existed is the possible proposal and it is a proposal that complies with democracy", she stressed.

"I understand that Sebastião Bugalho is more used to commenting on the debates of others than to debating and having to show his own ideas, that Marta Temido should do his dirty work I think is absolutely unacceptable", she criticised, suggesting that perhaps PS and PSD "even prefer that there is no campaign for the European elections".

Catarina Martins stated that "the right went looking for a candidate who is a commentator, but who, in fact, has never had to defend ideas with contradiction" and indicated that "defending ideas with contradiction is difficult, but that is how democracy is".

According to the newspaper Expresso, PS and the Democratic Alliance (AD) rejected the debate model proposed by RTP, TVI and SIC for the European elections of 9 June, in which 28 face to face debates were planned between the top candidates of the parties with representation in the Assembly of the Republic. 

These political forces claimed that this was a high number of duels, which would affect the electoral campaign, and admitted to accepting a lighter schedule.

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