This Monday was a decisive day with regard to the European elections, but also marked by surprises, with the Democratic Alliance (AD) and the Socialist Party (PS) approving their lists for the June elections. The first news came at the end of the afternoon, when it was announced that the former minister and current socialist deputy Marta Temido would be the head of the PS list. Francisco Assis, also a PS deputy, is number two. The leader of the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, bet on the renewal of the PS MEPs and also chose the former minister and current deputy Ana Catarina Mendes to join this list, of which not a single current PS MEP is part.

Here is the list of candidates for the European elections approved today by the Political Commission of the PS, which met at the national headquarters:

1. Marta Temido
2.  Francisco Assis
3. Ana Catarina Mendes
4. Bruno Gonçalves
5. André Rodrigues
6. Carla Tavares
7. Isilda Gomes
8. Sérgio Gonçalves
9. Miguel Lemos
10. Joana Sá Pereira
11. Pedro do Carmo
12. Inês  João Rodrigues
13. Jorge Manuel Santos Conde
14. Lúcia Silva
15. Mário Balsa
16. Inês Pinto
17. Francisco Themudo
18. Margarida Cardoso
19. Ana Cláudia Moreira
20. Hélio Fazendeiro
21. João Soares

But the surprises were not only with the socialists. After a day marked by the name of Rui Moreira and a possible candidacy for the European elections on behalf of the AD, it was announced that the journalist and television commentator Sebastião Bugalho would head the list of the coalition (PSD, CDS-PP and PPM) to the European Parliament.

It should be noted that Rui Moreira was pointed out, by several media outlets, as the most likely head of the coalition list, generating controversy, with members and mayors of the PSD Porto contesting this possibility. However, the news was not confirmed and a source close to the mayor said that the mayor of Porto declined the invitation to join the second place on the AD list for the European elections. The same source said that the leader of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, formally invited Rui Moreira to the second position on the AD list on Sunday night, but he declined.

The AD list was voted on at a meeting of the National Councils of the PSD and the CDS-PP. Paulo Cunha, vice-president of the PSD, and Ana Miguel Pedro, indicated by the CDS-PP, occupy the second and third places, respectively.

Here is the list of AD candidates for the European elections, up to the time of closing this article:

1. Sebastião Bugalho
2. Paulo Cunha
3. Ana Miguel Pedro
4. Hélder Sousa e Silva
5. Lídia Pereira
6. Sérgio Humberto
7. Paulo Nascimento Cabral
8. Carla Rodrigues
9. Rubina Leal
10. Vasco Weinberg

It should be recalled that the heads of the list of the other parties with parliamentary seats were already known, with the exception of PAN. Tânger Corrêa heads the Chega list, Catarina Martins the Left Bloc, Francisco Paupério will be the head of the list for Livre, while João Oliveira advances for the Portuguese Communist Party and João Cotrim de Figueiredo for the Liberal Initiative. The head of the PAN list is not yet known.

The European elections are scheduled for June 9.

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