Mariana Mortágua Steps Down as Bloco de Esquerda Leader, Admits Failed Goals

Mariana Mortágua's leadership of the Bloco de Esquerda has come to an end. The party coordinator sent a message to members explaining that she will not seek re-election in the upcoming Convention. She justified this by stating she was unable to reverse the excessive centralization of the Bloco's structure and failed to generate a new political and electoral impulse.

In her message, Mortágua reflected, "Politics, like life, is about us and our circumstances. Over these two and a half years, the rush of successive election campaigns took away space and time for our internal reflection and harmed an effective transformation of the Bloco's functioning." She acknowledged that her leadership fell short of its objectives.

Announcing her decision not to run again, Mortágua expressed that she made this choice calmly, believing that the Bloco will benefit from having people in coordination and Parliament with better conditions than she currently has to give voice to the party.

Mortágua noted that "the left in general—and the Bloco in particular—is going through a difficult period, and not just in our country." However, she ended on a positive note, emphasizing that the Bloco has the history, ideas, coherence, and militancy to face these times and "surprise once again those who eagerly attack." She affirmed, "We are not afraid, and we will defeat the new fascists and all oppression with the strength of the socialist idea. I will be part of this path, as I have been for almost twenty years."

Later this Saturday afternoon, Mariana Mortágua will hold a press conference to explain this decision in person. The Bloco de Esquerda Convention, which will elect new leadership, is scheduled for the end of November.