PAN Party Faces Mass Exodus as Key Members Resign Over Ideological Shifts

Mass Resignations Rock PAN Party

Dozens of militants from the PAN—People-Animals-Nature party, including activists, local officials, and national and regional leaders such as former MP Bebiana Cunha, have officially left the party today, as confirmed by Cunha to Lusa.

Reasons Behind the Departures

Bebiana Cunha expressed her disillusionment, stating, "For me, when there is no longer ideological coherence, I conclude it makes no sense. I am faced with an impossibility of remaining affiliated with a party that, in my view, has distorted its ideals. In 2011, PAN talked about 'Giving value to values,' meaning bringing ethics into politics, and in my opinion, that project has failed. I cannot consciously remain associated with a project where quantity becomes more important than quality."

In statements to Lusa, the former deputy, who has been a volunteer with PAN since 2011, served as a municipal official in Porto, and was elected parliamentary leader in 2021, emphasized that this decision was not made lightly or overnight, summarizing it with the word "disappointment."

She added, "I think there is disappointment among us with a project, with a political ideal as ethical as PAN's. Seeing it distort itself in various coalitions, based on an idea that what is important is quantity at the expense of quality."

Criticism of Current Leadership

When asked about her assessment of the party's current leadership, Cunha lamented the "lack of self-criticism" on issues such as loss of electorate and representation, considering that "there is a denial of reality."

She noted, "An absence of in-depth analysis, just like PAN, which ideologically was a party that defended deep ecology and has come to defend surface ecology."

Background and Previous Warnings

These resignations follow an open letter made public in July, also signed by the former PAN deputy and other ex-leaders, calling for an evaluation of the party's leadership "without fear of having to change," accusing the current leadership of straying from the "founding values."

A total of 35 signatories, including former leaders like Anabela Castro, Nuno Pires, Miguel Queirós, or Carolina Pia, highlighted that they all "have their history within PAN" and recalled the launch of the political project People-Animals-Nature in 2009.

In a statement released today and signed by five now ex-militants of PAN, including Bebiana Cunha, and citing Miguel Queirós, who chaired the National Jurisdiction Council and is now resigning, it reads that "PAN has ceased to be who it was—the only platform where causes and committed activism ever converged in a politically organized representative structure."

Internal Party Issues

The statement further points out, "Recall that Inês Sousa Real was elected in 2023 with about 73% of the congress votes, in a list that has since been losing elements drop by drop, who repeatedly pointed to a lack of internal democracy. Additionally, according to the party's current statutes, the elective congress should have been held in May 2025, which has not happened yet, not even announced for 2025, keeping PAN in its illegality, despite the insistence of members and the opinion of the National Jurisdiction Council."

Symbolic Timing and Future Directions

This announcement was made symbolically today, World Vegan Day, described by the signatories as a "collective resignation" with "symbolic and ethical character" as an appeal "for the reconstruction of truly horizontal, empathetic, and democratic political spaces, to which this group of over thirty people will do their part."

PAN's Response

In a separate statement, the PAN leadership, which begins by saying it "has been registering a steady and consistent increase in the number of new affiliations," refers to the resignations as "a process of formalizing personal disconnections that occur naturally."

The party stated, "But also that some of these people, despite still being formally affiliated with PAN, integrated lists of candidacies competing with PAN's, in other cases publicly expressing support for other parties in the last local elections, violating the statutes and disrespecting the work of other militants. The decision to leave now formalized only translates the natural closure of a personal and political cycle that was already exhausted."