“The model, the system that is organized is, manifestly, disappointing the people. It is distancing people from their political decision-makers,” stated Pedro Duarte, during a panel on ‘The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence’ at the PSD Summer University, a training initiative for young professionals taking place until Sunday in Castelo de Vide (Portalegre).
In his initial speech, the former minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the first government led by Luís Montenegro opposed radicalism and extremism with a policy of greater proximity.
“I will give you a very concrete example from our country. The last time we held a referendum in Portugal on regionalization was in 1998 (…) And it is a topic that has left the agenda, for political reasons, nothing else,” he noted.
For the municipal candidate, at a time when the government is – “and rightly so” – prioritizing state reform, it must be considered whether the country’s organization “is the most appropriate for the times we are living in,” leaving a specific challenge.
“I think it is very important that the country, especially after the municipal elections, when looking at serious state reform, also considers the territorial component, the organization, the decentralization model it wants, the regionalization model that it may or may not desire, in order to provide politicians with the means to meet the people’s demands,” he urged.
