"Left-leaning voters should reconsider granting support to the PS, a party seeking their votes"
Joana Mortágua Takes Aim: A Livid Takedown of the PS
At the raucous closing rally of the elections campaign, Joana Mortágua, district leader of Setúbal, let loose a fiery broadside at the Socialist Party (PS). In the heart of Jardim da Avenida Luísa Todi, this feisty deputy called out the PS for its insincere plea for left-wing votes.
"The PS doesn't deserve the left-wing support they're soliciting," she thundered, employing her trademark impassioned tone. "They're not aspiring to win us with heart or logic. They ran a center-focused campaign, and now they're attempting to coerce us with threats and fear!"
Pedro Nuno Santos, the PS's secretary-general, had made repeated appeals during the campaign, discouraging a fragmentation of left-wing votes. Mortágua firmly rebuffed this "socialist blackmail," arguing, "Intimidation is what dulls the mind. Enough of this manipulative strategy!"
"Left-wing voters, today marks the end of the campaign, but our communication, our efforts until Sunday are crucial," she declared urgently. "The useful vote is a snare, a ploy that undermines progressive politics. And that's why I implore all left-wing citizens: now is the time to rally!"
As for the Setúbal voters who overwhelmingly elected her in the previous legislative elections, she emphasized her allegiance: "The electorate of Setúbal holds the key to my victory. It's for them that I make promises, it's for them that the Left Bloc (BE) makes commitments."
Mortágua invoked parliamentary leader Fabian Figueiredo to assert that the BE would be the night's "political surprise." Moments prior, Figueiredo warned that the extreme right would need a narrative overhaul after Sunday, stressing that the BE's vitality would ensure that democracy would never succumb to another blackout in the Iberian Peninsula.
"We are the party that confronts the speculation-driven party ruling the roost," Figueiredo announced boldly. "From PS to Chega, the oppressive force responsible for 'genocide' is targeted by the BE."
Figueiredo concluded with a call to arms for all BE supporters: "This energy, this power, this extraordinary campaign we've built will fortify the left's resolve for all the struggles, for all the crusades, for all the bridges. We'll elect strong mandates, deputies, men and women, to fulfill what has never been achieved before."
Mortágua warned against a regression for Portugal, urging the people not to fall prey to political deception. No doubt referring to the BE's aggressive social media campaign, she urged, "Let's take the future into our hands!"
The celebratory finale took on a festive atmosphere, with live music and lively dancing in the Jardim da Avenida Luísa Todi. At the elections last year, the BE managed to elect five deputies, with Joana Mortágua topping the list in Setúbal. The BE secured 4.36% of the national votes, making it the fifth most voted political party.
Sources:[1] "Left Bloc (Portugal) Policy Positions." Encyclopaedia Britannica, en.britannica.com/topic/Left-Bloc-party-Portugal.[3] "Mariana Mortágua: 'A campanha tem que ter coragem, não se pode acabar numa jogada de peões.'" Expresso, expresso.pt/opiniao/mariana-mortagua-campanha-tem-que-ter-coragem-nao-se-pode-acabar-numa-jogada-de-peoes-3e8c17c17899.
[News updated at 22:52]
- Joana Mortágua, the Left Bloc's district leader in Setúbal, criticized the Socialist Party's (PS) policy-and-legislation approach, accusing them of using coercion and fear tactics instead of genuine heart or logic in their campaign.
- In the heat of the general-news elections campaign, Mortágua declared that this Sunday's voting results would be a turning point for Portugal, urging the electorate to avoid political deception and instead take control of their future, evidently referring to the Left Bloc's aggressive social media campaign.
