Judge Nuno Matos elected president of the judges union association

Judge Nuno Matos was elected president of the board of Portuguese Judges Union Association (ASJP)with a two-vote advantage over candidate José Francisco Moreira das Neves, the organization announced today.

“The new president of the ASJP board is judge Nuno Matos, to whom the outgoing ASJP board has already congratulated him on his election and wishes for a good term”, reads a note sent to the Lusa agency.

According to figures released by ASJP, Nuno Matos collected 813 votes for the national leadership, while Moreira das Neves obtained 811.

Judge of the Lisbon Court of Appeal, Nuno Matos is the candidate on list A, who proposes creating conditions that guarantee the internal and external independence of judges, dignifying the judicial function.

Nuno Matos’ list promises to take “a proactive stance, proposing reforms to the competent entities with a view to the permanent defense of human rights, living in a democratic rule of law, improving the judicial system and guaranteeing citizens’ access to accessible justice and ready.”

Another objective is the defense of the rights and professional interests of judges, highlighting “the improvement of the judge’s socio-professional status, compatible with the demands and dignity of the role, effective access to occupational medicine, protecting judges from risks to their health and safety associated with the role they perform, namely ‘stress’ and ‘burnout'”.

At regional level, list A also won the regional direction of the North (with 361 votes against 202), while list B won in the Center (125 against 101) and in the South (476 against 355).

List B, led by the judge of the Court of Appeal of Évora José Francisco Moreira das Neves, had the motto ‘Side by Side with the Judges — Proximity and Independence’ and included several members of the outgoing board.

The ASJP represents around 90% of Portuguese judges, with around 2,300 magistrates in Portugal.