Aguiar-Branco warns that the country runs the risk of having only politicians without any interest

The President of the Assembly of the Republic warned today of the risk of Portugal being left with politicians without any interest and suggested a change in rules and mentalities on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first free elections.

These positions were defended by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco at the opening of a conference on “The status of political office holders – five years later”, in the Senate Room, in parliament.

In his speech, the President of the Assembly of the Republic considered that Portuguese politics “needs to mobilize the most capable academics, the most qualified professionals” and “the most suitable representatives for the different interests that exist in society”.

“I chose the word interests deliberately. Deputies must defend interests: those of their lands and regions, those of a professional class, community or sector, the interests of farmers or teachers. It is the set of interests that constitutes the national interest,” he argued.

Then, he left a warning: “When we are, through demagogy, envy or slander, too concerned with the interests of politicians, we run the risk of only being left with politicians without any interest whatsoever.”

The former Social Democratic minister admitted that this position is controversial and unpopular, but, in his view, “a dangerous situation has been created in Portugal in the discussion about the status of political office holders”.

“Not only because of the laws, but above all because of the media environment that has been created. An environment of suspicion towards politicians, without taking into account what is wheat and what is chaff, degrading, through lack of rigor, the noble meaning of the function. An environment that, so often, seems to want to demand from politicians a degree of transparency that is only aimed at voyeurism and not at the serious scrutiny that serves the public cause”, he criticized.

In this context, the President of the Assembly of the Republic made a proposal to combat an environment that “assumes that everyone is a suspect and potentially guilty” and that reverses the burden of proof.

“This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first free elections. It is an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to our first MPs, the founders of the democratic regime. But it is also time to think about the future, to change rules and mindsets, so that it will once again be possible to recruit the best people into politics,” he argued.

In his speech, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco admitted that, given the current reality, figures such as Natália Correia, Lucas Pires or Sophia de Mello Breyner might not be in political life.

“We need to change the way we look at politics, the demands that, as a society, we make on public servants. We all know how difficult it is for those who have a private life to participate in politics,” he said.

The president of parliament even considered that “those who have a professional career, who have a CV in the private sector, who have their own companies, who have done business, often find themselves inhibited from participating in politics, even without any incompatibility or conflict of interests”.

“And we run the risk of attracting to public service only those who have no experience in the private sector, career politicians, those who have always been involved in politics - and nothing more,” he added.

At the opening of the session, the president of the Transparency and Statute of Deputies Committee, the social democrat Ofélia Ramos, classified Aguiar-Branco as a "reference in defense of pluralism and freedom", and stressed that ethics and transparency "are not an option but a duty" of politicians.

At a time when the possibility of increasing sanctions for deputies with inappropriate behavior is being discussed, Ofélia Ramos warned, however, that laws should not be created reactively and hastily.

The President of the Assembly of the Republic warned today of the risk of Portugal being left with politicians without any interest and suggested a change in rules and mentalities on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first free elections.

These positions were defended by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco at the opening of a conference on “The status of political office holders – five years later”, in the Senate Room, in parliament.

In his speech, the President of the Assembly of the Republic considered that Portuguese politics “needs to mobilize the most capable academics, the most qualified professionals” and “the most suitable representatives for the different interests that exist in society”.

“I chose the word interests deliberately. Deputies must defend interests: those of their lands and regions, those of a professional class, community or sector, the interests of farmers or teachers. It is the set of interests that constitutes the national interest,” he argued.

Then, he left a warning: “When we are, through demagogy, envy or slander, too concerned with the interests of politicians, we run the risk of only being left with politicians without any interest whatsoever.”

The former Social Democratic minister admitted that this position is controversial and unpopular, but, in his view, “a dangerous situation has been created in Portugal in the discussion about the status of political office holders”.

“Not only because of the laws, but above all because of the media environment that has been created. An environment of suspicion towards politicians, without taking into account what is wheat and what is chaff, degrading, through lack of rigor, the noble meaning of the function. An environment that, so often, seems to want to demand from politicians a degree of transparency that is only aimed at voyeurism and not at the serious scrutiny that serves the public cause”, he criticized.

In this context, the President of the Assembly of the Republic made a proposal to combat an environment that “assumes that everyone is a suspect and potentially guilty” and that reverses the burden of proof.

“This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first free elections. It is an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to our first MPs, the founders of the democratic regime. But it is also time to think about the future, to change rules and mindsets, so that it will once again be possible to recruit the best people into politics,” he argued.

In his speech, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco admitted that, given the current reality, figures such as Natália Correia, Lucas Pires or Sophia de Mello Breyner might not be in political life.

“We need to change the way we look at politics, the demands that, as a society, we make on public servants. We all know how difficult it is for those who have a private life to participate in politics,” he said.

The president of parliament even considered that “those who have a professional career, who have a CV in the private sector, who have their own companies, who have done business, often find themselves inhibited from participating in politics, even without any incompatibility or conflict of interests”.

“And we run the risk of attracting to public service only those who have no experience in the private sector, career politicians, those who have always been involved in politics - and nothing more,” he added.

At the opening of the session, the president of the Transparency and Statute of Deputies Committee, the social democrat Ofélia Ramos, classified Aguiar-Branco as a "reference in defense of pluralism and freedom", and stressed that ethics and transparency "are not an option but a duty" of politicians.

At a time when the possibility of increasing sanctions for deputies with inappropriate behavior is being discussed, Ofélia Ramos warned, however, that laws should not be created reactively and hastily.

The President of the Assembly of the Republic warned today of the risk of Portugal being left with politicians without any interest and suggested a change in rules and mentalities on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first free elections.

These positions were defended by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco at the opening of a conference on “The status of political office holders – five years later”, in the Senate Room, in parliament.

In his speech, the President of the Assembly of the Republic considered that Portuguese politics “needs to mobilize the most capable academics, the most qualified professionals” and “the most suitable representatives for the different interests that exist in society”.

“I chose the word interests deliberately. Deputies must defend interests: those of their lands and regions, those of a professional class, community or sector, the interests of farmers or teachers. It is the set of interests that constitutes the national interest,” he argued.

Then, he left a warning: “When we are, through demagogy, envy or slander, too concerned with the interests of politicians, we run the risk of only being left with politicians without any interest whatsoever.”

The former Social Democratic minister admitted that this position is controversial and unpopular, but, in his view, “a dangerous situation has been created in Portugal in the discussion about the status of political office holders”.

“Not only because of the laws, but above all because of the media environment that has been created. An environment of suspicion towards politicians, without taking into account what is wheat and what is chaff, degrading, through lack of rigor, the noble meaning of the function. An environment that, so often, seems to want to demand from politicians a degree of transparency that is only aimed at voyeurism and not at the serious scrutiny that serves the public cause”, he criticized.

In this context, the President of the Assembly of the Republic made a proposal to combat an environment that “assumes that everyone is a suspect and potentially guilty” and that reverses the burden of proof.

“This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first free elections. It is an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to our first MPs, the founders of the democratic regime. But it is also time to think about the future, to change rules and mindsets, so that it will once again be possible to recruit the best people into politics,” he argued.

In his speech, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco admitted that, given the current reality, figures such as Natália Correia, Lucas Pires or Sophia de Mello Breyner might not be in political life.

“We need to change the way we look at politics, the demands that, as a society, we make on public servants. We all know how difficult it is for those who have a private life to participate in politics,” he said.

The president of parliament even considered that “those who have a professional career, who have a CV in the private sector, who have their own companies, who have done business, often find themselves inhibited from participating in politics, even without any incompatibility or conflict of interests”.

“And we run the risk of attracting to public service only those who have no experience in the private sector, career politicians, those who have always been involved in politics - and nothing more,” he added.

At the opening of the session, the president of the Transparency and Statute of Deputies Committee, the social democrat Ofélia Ramos, classified Aguiar-Branco as a "reference in defense of pluralism and freedom", and stressed that ethics and transparency "are not an option but a duty" of politicians.

At a time when the possibility of increasing sanctions for deputies with inappropriate behavior is being discussed, Ofélia Ramos warned, however, that laws should not be created reactively and hastily.