Far, too far …

I get relatively perplexed when suddenly and following the electoral results I watch almost unanimously on two conclusions in relation to which, as much as it reflects, I cannot subscribe. The first respects the result of the AD and the ability of this result to generate governing stability in a 4 -year legislature.
The 32.1% obtained are the second worst AD result (AD’s worst result also occurred under the leadership of Luís Montenegro in 2024). With relatively low abstention (35.62%) this result corresponds to a total of 20.66% of registered voters and about 17% of the total population. That is, the strength that AD appears to have in Portuguese society is not as intense and capillary as the first analysis seems. In addition to this fragility the party arrives, consisting of a group that shows in many of its leaders and representatives a rude and abrupt style, will whenever possible to fire this famous stability, with various instruments, but also very predictably with the Spinumviva case (which remains without properly explained and closed). We are far away, far from stability with electoral representation as well as the resolution of the theme that was the origin of the political crisis.

The second conclusion concerns the various accusations made to the great loser of legislative elections.
I consider that the Portuguese opted for the evils they considered smaller and that in this reasoning penalized the historic clutters of the PS leader. Pedro Nuno Santos’s incompetence has been associated with his professional policy profile to whom no other activity is known. But will there be any difference to most candidates for deputies? Is there a great difference in the unforeseen event and the lack of competence to govern the country regarding Luís Montenegro? I would say no. The political system we have ensures access to the lists of deputies and the government, essentially those whose profile is precisely party carreirism. In this article Montenegro and Pedro Nuno Santos are ‘flour of the same bag’. We do not have illusions of the difficulty of innovating and developing Portugal as long as the political system does not evolve into a meritocracy. The quality of the Parliamentary Constitution of the deputies of the next Assembly of the Republic will certainly be the worst in the history of Portuguese democracy. Ignorance and lack of education will preclude. It is not with unforeseen and incompetent that the problems of the stagnation of society and the Portuguese economy are solved. These are not those trained to reform the state and develop the economy. The problem is not Pedro Nuno Santos; It is just one more, the result of the model of access to active politics. Far, too far …

Portugal has been stagnant for decades and, without margin for illusions or doubts, until the model of access to politics, the remuneration of politicians and the relationship between elected and voters will not have the revenue of the boys who dominate the parties and whose ability to guide and develop the country is highly doubtful.

The title of this article reflects this feeling of distance to formula, processes and people who can effectively contribute to governance to the development of the country. We are far away, too far …

CEO of Taguspark, University Professor