Regionalization was defended only in left-wing election programs

Regionalization continues to be advocated in the electoral proposals of left-wing parties in parliament, while political right-wing forces refuse this process or do not even mention the administrative division of the country into regions.

In their electoral platforms ahead of legislative elections on March 10, the PS, PCP, Bloco and Livre parties are pushing for regionalization, a process of administrative division of the country that has been provided for in the Constitution since 1976 and has never been implemented.

The programs of the Democratic Alliance coalition (AD, formed by PSD, CDS-PP and PPM) and the Liberal Initiative (IL) ignore the creation of regions, while Chegi’s program is clear, rejecting “any project of regionalization”.

The PAN program for legislative bodies is not yet known.

The PS even had a calendar for holding a referendum on regionalization in 2024, but as the date approached, the topic was forgotten on the media agenda.

In the mandate program starting March 10, the Socialists do not specify dates but commit to “developing a roadmap for the regionalization of mainland Portugal, promoting a cost-benefit analysis.”

The party intends to “accompany the process of democratization and integration of deconcentrated services into the new CCDR” (Regional Commission for Coordination and Development), which, together with the inter-municipal entities, will play “a key role in the management of future regional governance programs.” European funds.”

“It is necessary to monitor and evaluate in a timely manner, using qualitative and quantitative indicators, in dialogue with various actors, the integration of deconcentrated public services into the CCDR, which will allow us to learn important lessons for collective cooperation. The process of regionalization” is described in the socialist program.

At the congress of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities, held at the end of September in Seixal (Setúbal district), Prime Minister António Costa has already stated that the restructuring of the CCDR is a reform, as far as possible, until the necessary conditions are created. observe regionalization.

In its program, the PKP proposes “a cohesive and balanced country, protection of the interior and rural peace, based on regionalization and territorial planning, as well as environmental policies that protect nature.”

In addition to the fact that Livre presents as its goal “the achievement of regionalization on the Portuguese mainland as an essential guarantee of territorial cohesion and the balanced development of the country, as provided for by the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic”, Livre already provides a calendar.

“Hold a referendum on regionalization in 2026, promoting a broad national debate on the importance of decentralizing political power, electing regional bodies on the basis of universal suffrage,” says the Livre program, emphasizing that in this way the Portuguese democratic system is renewed,” making – the most flexible and autonomous at the expense of the current centralization and hierarchy, creating an intermediate level of political decision-making closer to the territory and population, which horizontalizes and mediates the relationship between the central government and local government.”

Regarding “a participatory, open and democratic process for the purpose of regionalization,” Blok argues that citizens “have the right to elect bodies and participate in determining policies in their region.”

BE believes that public services “should be tied to the level of government best suited to their enforcement and control, and in many cases this scale is regional”, so the constitution of regions promotes a policy of territorial cohesion and allows for “control of popular publics”. investment and economic policies to eliminate inequalities between territories.”

Of the right-wing parties, only Chega mentions regionalization, but, stating that “without increasing the financial burden,” intends “a new policy of territorial cohesion, with a better distribution of powers between existing administrative bodies without the need to create new entities, especially without regionalization.”

Regionalization is not mentioned by either IL or AD.

However, in 2022, the PSD ran alone and defended the need to “rethink the framework of autonomy, functions and competences of the subnational levels of the state,” committing to open this debate to Portuguese society, “as well as regionalization and implement measures that, in this context, will contribute to the correction territorial inequality, if they correspond to the will of the majority of the Portuguese.”