The president of Braga City Council and the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM), considered that “a strong democracy depends on the participation and commitment of citizens” and highlighted that “the moment of voting is the most important and significant of the democratic societies in which we live and that we want to promote”.
Speaking this Monday in a webinar promoted by GPM and the ‘European Capital of Democracy’ initiative, Ricardo Rio stressed that “it is essential to look at the reasons why citizens do not vote and high levels of abstention are recorded, as has been the case in Portugal in the last European elections”.
“In this context, without a doubt the biggest challenge is to raise people’s awareness of the importance of their vote and their active participation in the life of society”, he said, stressing that “a strong democracy depends on the participation and commitment of citizens” .
The mayor of Braga highlighted “the moment of voting is the most important and significant of the democratic societies in which we live and which we want to promote. Therefore, it is essential to look at the reasons why citizens do not vote and why high levels of abstention occur, as has happened in Portugal in the last European elections. In this context, without a doubt the biggest challenge is to raise people’s awareness of the importance of their vote and their active participation in the life of society”, he maintained.
To increase the percentage of voters “it is essential to ensure that citizens are informed of the political reality, understand the influence that these political decisions have on their day-to-day lives and, more than that, are involved in the decision-making processes”.
“A huge challenge for the European project is being able to reduce the distance that currently exists between the population and its institutions. It is important that everyone thinks about the future of Europe and adds their contribution to it. At the local level, which is the level of government that people trust most, cities have developed a set of initiatives that successfully involve citizens and reduce abstention levels. These initiatives of involvement in the democratic process can and should be replicated at other levels of government,” he said.
Ricardo Rio added that simplifying the voting process is another important factor that can contribute to reducing the abstention rate.
“In addition to the possibility of early voting, in this election we will have an innovation, which is the possibility that on voting day voters can choose any place to vote in the country. This possibility, facilitated by digital means and with the presence of qualified IT support staff at the polling stations, greatly simplifies the process”, he concluded.
The event was also attended by Michael Lidauer, political advisor co-founder of Election-Watch.EU, Kibreab Habtemichael Gebereselassie, director of the Department of International and European Affairs of the city of Sindelfingen (Germany), Benjamin Goodwin, responsible for communications and campaigns of the European Civic Forum, and Margarita Spasova, director of the Human Rights Cities Network.
Tags: strong democracy depends citizen participation president Braga Chamber future Europe
