Marques Mendes wants to be a PR mediator instead of a moderator

In an article written exclusively for this edition of Nascer do SOL, Luís Marques Mendes explains the reasons behind the candidacy he launched four months ago, now that three other candidacies have been officially presented: Gouveia e Melo and António José Seguro.

At the start of a new legislature that has completely changed the configuration and balance of power in parliament, the candidate reads the results and does not hesitate to state that it is necessary to combat the causes that fuel the growth of Chega, now the leader of the opposition.

“More than fighting Chega, we need to fight the causes that fuel it. It may be more difficult and less sexy, but it is more effective and politically more profitable.” With this statement, Marques Mendes alienates an important electorate from his candidacy (Chega received almost one and a half million votes in the last elections). The candidate who saw the support of the Social Democrats officially announced this week knows that it is not easy to win over the electorate of André Ventura’s party, who has already said that Marques Mendes “represents the worst of the political system.”

In the article, the former PSD leader and political commentator reinforces the cause of ethics as one of his main battles if elected, proposing changes to the political system. “It is urgent to improve the quality of political decision-makers. And to do so, it is necessary to make changes to the electoral system. Reinforcing personalization and political accountability.” In a proposal that seems to be moving towards the creation of single-member constituencies (constituencies in which there is a greater connection between elected deputies and the region for which they are running), Mendes does not fail to criticize what he calls “fake deputies.” In a criticism directed at Fernando Araújo, the former executive director of the SNS who was the head of the list for the PS in the Porto constituency in these elections, the presidential candidate says, “those who run for office and then resign immediately after the election… are the things that most discredit politics and politicians. We have to be more discerning and demanding.”

Mediator between government and parties One of the main objectives that Marques Mendes proposes if he arrives at the Belém Palace is to ensure conditions of political stability in an increasingly fragmented parliamentary reality and in which it is increasingly difficult to achieve absolute majorities.

To achieve this goal, the candidate supported by the government party believes that the next President of the Republic must be more proactive, “it is necessary to avoid motions of censure and motions of confidence. It is necessary to negotiate state budgets. And it is essential that the President encourages the main parties to take joint responsibility in this direction”.

Pointing the finger at the responsibility of politicians in a country he considers stagnant and where “there is fear of making decisions”, Marques Mendes writes that it is up to the President to inspire the country and the government, not just through the power of words.

The head of state, says Marques Mendes, “must play a more proactive role. Taking on the role of mediator between the government and opposition parties to overcome the major obstacles that have prevented greater growth in our economy for years.”

In another passage, the presidential candidate highlights the role he believes is reserved for the head of state: “to decline the concept of mediation and to underline the importance of the mediating power of the President. It is more, much more, than moderating power. The mediating power is proactive: to mediate is to act. It is to take initiative. It is to build bridges to resolve blockages and impasses”.

In the lines he writes on pages 24 and 25 of this edition, Marques Mendes goes further in defining the objectives of his candidacy and the way in which, if elected, he intends to exercise his functions. From what can be read in the article, the candidate finds room within the constitutional powers reserved to the President of the Republic to play an active role in the political chessboard. This will certainly be one of the themes of the campaign in the coming months: how can the President contribute to stability?