Leaders to face off in TV debates starting next week
The first televised debate is scheduled for April 7 at 9 PM on TVI, featuring Luís Montenegro and Paulo Raimundo, leader of the CDU coalition (Portuguese Communist Party, PCP, and Os Verdes).
The schedule for Portugal’s upcoming televised political debates has been finalized, with the highlight set for April 28, when Prime Minister and AD (PSD/CDS) leader Luís Montenegro will go head-to-head with Socialist Party (PS) Secretary-General Pedro Nuno Santos.
This final debate will be the longest, lasting 75 minutes, and will be broadcast simultaneously on CNN Portugal, SIC, and RTP.
Over a span of three weeks, leaders of political parties with parliamentary representation will debate their proposals for the country in 28 face-to-face discussions.
Each debate will last 30 minutes, with 25 minutes allocated to direct exchanges and an additional five-minute buffer.
Additionally, two broader debates will take place on RTP: one on May 6 featuring all parliamentary party leaders and another on May 8 with leaders of non-parliamentary parties.
Schedule
The first televised debate is scheduled for April 7 at 9 PM on TVI, featuring Luís Montenegro and Paulo Raimundo, leader of the CDU coalition (Portuguese Communist Party, PCP, and Os Verdes).
Later that same evening, at 10 PM on RTP3, far-right Chega leader André Ventura will debate PAN’s Inês de Sousa Real.
Debate Schedule
Monday, April 7
21:00 AD - CDU (TVI)
22:00 CH - PAN (RTP 3)
Tuesday, April 8
21:00 PS - BE (SIC)
22:00 CH - LIVRE (RTP 3)
Wednesday, April 9
18:00 CDU - LIVRE (SIC Notícias)
Thursday, April 10
21:00 PS - IL (RTP)
22:00 BE - PAN (CNN Portugal)
Friday, April 11
21:00 AD - LIVRE (TVI)
22:00 IL - CDU (SIC Notícias)
Saturday, April 12
21:00 PS - PAN (TVI)
22:00 BE - CDU (RTP 3)
Sunday, April 13
21:00 AD - PAN (SIC)
22:00 IL - LIVRE (CNN Portugal)
Monday, April 14
21:00 AD - IL (RTP)
22:00 BE - LIVRE (SIC Notícias)
Tuesday, April 15
21:00 PS - CH (TVI)
22:00 IL - PAN (SIC Notícias)
Wednesday, April 16
21:00 AD - BE (RTP)
22:00 CH - CDU (CNN Portugal)
Thursday, April 17
21:00 PS - LIVRE (SIC)
22:00 CH - IL (RTP 3)
Friday, April 18
Easter Break
Saturday, April 19
Easter Break
Sunday, April 20
Easter Break
Monday, April 21
21:00 PS - CDU (RTP)
22:00 CH - BE (SIC Notícias)
Tuesday, April 22
18:00 LIVRE - PAN (RTP 3)
Wednesday, April 23
18:00 CDU - PAN (CNN Portugal)
Thursday, April 24
21:00 AD - CH (SIC)
22:00 IL - BE (CNN Portugal)
Friday, April 25
April 25th Break
Saturday, April 26
April 25th Break
Saturday, April 27
April 25th Break
Saturday, April 28
21:00 AD - PS (RTP, SIC and TVI)
The 28 debates will be distributed between generalist and news channels.
Twelve will air alternately on RTP, SIC, and TVI at 9 PM, while 15 will be broadcast on the stations’ news channels, either at 6 PM or 10 PM.
The debate schedule accommodates breaks for Easter and the April 25 Revolution celebrations and considers the scheduling of Portuguese Cup football matches.
In addition to television debates, a radio debate featuring all parliamentary party leaders is set for May 5.
Hosted by Antena 1, Observador, Renascença, and TSF, this debate will run for two hours, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.
Format not yet closed
Despite the finalized schedule, three specific debates remain uncertain.
The Democratic Alliance has chosen to be represented by CDS leader Nuno Melo in its debates against the Left Bloc (BE), ecosocialist Livre, and greens PAN, rather than by Luís Montenegro himself.
This decision has sparked criticism from opposition parties, with BE, Livre, and PAN accusing the prime minister of avoiding direct confrontation.
In response, Montenegro expressed surprise at the backlash, while Nuno Melo countered by claiming that opposition leaders Rui Tavares (Livre), Mariana Mortágua (BE), and Inês de Sousa Real (PAN) were the ones hesitant to debate him.
Livre has since filed a complaint with the media regulatory authority ERC against PSD, RTP, SIC, and TVI over Montenegro’s absence in these debates.