Parliament rejected the proposal to create a national compensation circle proposed by the Liberal Initiative

This Friday, Parliament largely defeated the creation of a national compensation circle proposed by the IL, with most parties agreeing on the need for the measure but criticizing its discussion ahead of the legislative elections.

The IL diploma was rejected by the dissenting votes of PS, PSD and PCP and the dissenting votes of Chega, IL, BE, PAN and Livre.

In this proposal, the IL proposed the creation of a national compensation circle that would elect 40 deputies, maintaining the current 230, and stipulated that “the number of deputies from each electoral circle cannot be less than two.”

In the explanatory note, the Liberals defended the need for this circle because they believed that “the electoral system of Portugal must change”, warning that there was a “representative gap between the hinterland and the coast” and that there was a “large number of votes that either do not express the first appeals of the Portuguese , or not a single deputy is elected.”

In the debate that preceded the vote, which was necessarily scheduled by IL, most parties criticized the “timing” of the debate on the proposal, and some lamented the Liberals’ refusal to drag out diplomas.

PS MP Pedro Delgado Alves said “nothing significantly moves” his party against the IL proposal and felt the issues raised were “appropriate” but warned that creating a compensation circle of 40 MPs would lead to a reduction in the number of MPs. in smaller constituencies and would “exacerbate representation deficits in those areas.”

Pedro Delgado Alves also criticized the timing of the IL deciding to discuss this diploma, given that there are only a few months left before the legislative elections, stressing that it is necessary to be “cautious” in this kind of consideration, taking into account that “enemies of democracy” have used “an attack on the integrity of election results” at the global level.

PSD MP Paula Cardoso considered the electoral debate to be “one of the most important in a democratic system” and expressed concern that there are “votes that are not counted” but also criticized the “timing” chosen by the IL.

Like the PS, the Social Democratic MP also warned that, according to the IL proposal, the districts of Beja, Bragança, Évora, Castelo Branco, Braga and Portalegre would elect one less MP, stressing that “it is not clear what the representativeness, proportionality and democracy”, which the diploma aims to achieve.

Regarding Chega, MP Diogo Pacheco de Amorim believes that the compensation circle proposed by IL “is a small but important step on the long way forward” to “put an end to the oligopoly that has existed for 48 years”, which ensures that the PS and PSD alternate in power.

Pacheco de Amorim also said that, in addition to creating a “much more proportional” electoral system, a new Constitution is also needed “that allows the government of the right to govern the right,” given that the current constitution obliges leaders to govern “in the opinion of the left.”

BE parliamentary leader Pedro Filipe Soares criticized IL for not accepting that other parties could table their own initiatives, stressing that the Bloc also defends the creation of a national compensation circle and that this would not be an “innovation”, taking into account Please note that it already exists in the Azores.

At the end of the debate, IL parliamentary leader Rodrigo Saraiva said his party presented the proposal in April and decided to schedule this debate precisely because there would be elections, stressing that it was “still possible” to create a compensation circle before the legislative elections. .

“The only thing that is being discussed within this proposal is whether the compensation circle – since everyone agrees on its benefits – should consist of 40, 30 or 20 deputies,” he said, asking parties “not to be afraid to give their vote to the Portuguese” .