Politics that fails to renew itself

Portugal is currently going through an intense period of elections: regional elections in Madeira, national legislative elections, local elections and presidential elections. Although this calendar is common in democratic life, there is a happy coincidence: it occurs precisely when the first free and democratic elections in our country are celebrated 50 years ago.

The Portuguese have been called to the polls and, surprisingly, have been contradicting some political theories and narratives that insist on the idea of ​​a tired electorate.

Democracy is alive and well and is not boring. The indicators of political participation are encouraging and reveal growing civic mobilization. Let's take a look: in the 2024 Madeira regional elections, the abstention rate was 46.6%, falling to 44.02% in 2025; in the national legislative elections, abstention stood at 40.16% in 2024 and fell to 35.62% in 2025. Let's hope that this positive trend continues in the local and presidential elections.

Participation is increasing, but reforms are still being postponed. Democracy needs more than votes; it needs renewal. Despite its vicissitudes — distrust in the system, in the processes and, often, in its protagonists — there is a legitimate hope behind these figures, which we hope will be strengthened in favor of democratic vitality and the ability of citizens to influence the country's direction.

Democracy is a path forward. Even so, no one can be satisfied when 30, 40 or 50% of voters stay at home. This is a reflection of an active but disillusioned citizenry, especially when political debate moves away from people and the construction of public policies that have a positive impact on their daily lives. We often live in a democracy of audiences, where visibility counts more than substance. It is urgent to face, without subterfuge, the need to reform the Portuguese political system, adopting measures that encourage, facilitate and demonstrate political participation.

Instead of avoiding or postponing elections, we should seriously debate the structural changes that the political system needs. Changes that are often postponed due to fears of losing power and privileges. These include: electronic voting, administrative reorganization of the State, term limits, better salaries for politicians, ongoing accountability mechanisms for public office holders, promotion of popular legislative initiatives, digital and deliberative public consultations, platforms for monitoring the implementation of political proposals and programs, a new model for party financing, the possibility for citizens' movements to stand as candidates in all elections, and counting methods that take advantage of all votes cast.

Perhaps it would be more productive, instead of repeating that people are tired of elections, to reflect deeply on what leads to this perception: the erosion of institutions, the fragmentation of the party system, the lack of internal renewal, the loss of credibility of political agents and the absence of real and transformative proposals. The fatigue is rarely found in the electoral act itself; it is in the poor quality of representation, the repetition of empty promises and the growing gap between elected officials and voters.

We cannot continue with Portugal in two ways: on the one hand, promoting a model country, with growth indicators; on the other, a real country, where these improvements do not translate into opportunities or quality of life for everyone.

May the Portuguese never tire of elections, because the day that happens, democracy — which required so much sacrifice to be achieved — may cease to be a way of life.