CDU to Participate in SIC Debates Following ERC Ruling
The Coligação Democrática Unitária (CDU) will now take part in the debates for the Lisbon and Porto mayoral elections organized by SIC, after the Entidade Reguladora da Comunicação (ERC) deemed their initial exclusion a violation of the law.
A source from SIC's information directorate confirmed to Lusa that the Lisbon debate remains scheduled for the 15th, while the Porto debate has been rescheduled to the 21st due to practical reasons.
In a statement, CDU Lisbon emphasized that from the outset, they warned that SIC's plan to hold a face-to-face debate only between candidates from the PSD/CDS/IL and PS/Livre/BE/PAN coalitions, excluding CDU's head of list João Ferreira (a force represented in the current municipal executive), was discriminatory and contrary to law, harming democratic pluralism.
CDU, the coalition of PCP/PEV, filed complaints with the Comissão Nacional de Eleições (CNE) and ERC. They expressed gratitude to the many democrats who showed mass discontent and indignation over SIC's discriminatory attitude, noting that this public movement was crucial to the outcome.
CDU's candidates are João Ferreira for Lisbon and former deputy Diana Ferreira for Porto.
In a unanimous decision released on Friday, ERC concluded that SIC violated the law on journalistic coverage and electoral propaganda by excluding CDU candidates from the initial debates. For its opinion, CNE notified SIC's information director, who responded that the face-to-face debate between the main coalitions was an editorial choice with clear value, and SIC's plan includes broader debates and interviews where CDU will be included.
Additionally, Chega filed a similar complaint with CNE, later referred to ERC, arguing that SIC announced a debate for Porto on September 14, 2025, only between Manuel Pizarro (PS) and Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS/IL coalition), with other candidates, including those with representation in the Municipal Assembly, slated for a later joint debate. ERC ruled that including or excluding Chega in the debate falls within SIC's editorial autonomy.
Read Also: Vitória do PS será "novo fôlego" para a democracia. Chega? "Não serve"
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