Lisbon, November 16, 2013, Teatro São Luiz. Rui Tavares, then an MEP elected as an independent on the lists of the Bloco de Esquerda, speaks in front of about a hundred and a half people. A new party must therefore be founded: an ‘area of freedom’, he describes. On that occasion, an approved name already existed – “Free – Freedom, Left, Europe and Ecology” – to which the poppy was added as a symbol. The place to occupy was also defined: “In the middle of the left.” “It is a rearguard of left-wing voters, who take to the streets so often, one of the people who have already voted for the PCP, the BE and the PS, but who currently feel that they have no representation,” described Rui Tavares.
After almost ten years, progress is visible. Legalized by the Constitutional Court on March 19, 2014 (following the Founding Congress on January 31 and February 1 of that year), Livre has participated in all elections since then – with the exception of the presidential election – and, after modest results, failed to elected, the party will enter parliament in 2019, with Joacine Katar Moreira holding the position of sole deputy. In 2020, after a series of internal disagreements, Livre withdraws the political confidence of the then deputy, who remains unregistered (Cristina Rodrigues, ex-PAN would join) during the remainder of the legislature, which ended in 2022.
Despite the unfairness, the party is active again and went to the polls last year. And just like three years before, he is elected again, even with more votes. This time it is Rui Tavares, historian and main face of the party, who takes the place of deputy. He who was already in the municipalities last year had managed to be elected councilor without portfolio in the municipality of Lisbon through the coalition “Mais Lisboa” (PS + Livre).
Subsequently elected, he holds both positions. To DN, on the occasion of the series of reports One day Of…, confessed that he would like to be present in the municipality more often, but that this is not possible due to scheduling conflicts – as with other aldermen. But virtually full-time in parliament, Rui Tavares has fought to get approval for the causes the party champions. According to the data in place of parliament, Livre’s sole deputy and spokesperson presented 68 bills, six of which were approved.
a cosmopolitan party
But what role can the party play, looking at the current political space? Marco Lisi, professor and researcher at the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCSH), tells DN: “Livre has, so to speak, several flags similar to those of other forces, such as the environment, which is shared by the PAN and the bloc, which is even more or less consensus.” This, he says, could influence the growth trajectory of a relatively young party. “Growing space is very limited. There are not so many really unique problems at Livre yet, and that could affect the ambitions for the time being”, says the political scientist.
According to the researcher, however, there is a formula that Livre can use to grow: transparency and democratization. “Livre is by far the most transparent party. Candidates are chosen through direct elections; all meeting minutes are available; the leadership [que no partido de Rui Tavares é chamada “Grupo de Contacto”] it is also collegial, not just a face and that can be taken advantage of, especially in the younger constituency. These are voters who vote less, according to the surveys carried out. If Livre bets on this discourse of transparency, of illustrating and explaining internal democracy, it can benefit from winning some votes as it brings in political fringes of society that may not be as connected or interested and contribute to abstinence .” , “Livre sees politics as something new. This has been one of the party’s strengths and by appealing to more educated, more urban and more cosmopolitan voters there will always be room for growth. Bigger or smaller of course.
Despite this idea, Marco Lisi believes that the party could potentially continue to vote, especially in the context of municipal and parliamentary elections. Especially if, according to the researcher, you ‘participate in coalitions, as you did when you were elected to the Lisbon Chamber. in Lisbon and Porto, at best. At least for now.’
A party with stronger causes
On the other hand, Viriato Soromenho-Marques, considers Livre to be a game “with several features that are not unique”, but which make the game fun as a whole It is. According to the professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon, Livre, in addition to democracy, is “a plural party, a left party that, despite having people of that origin, is not so Marxist. From an organic point of view. , it is a democratic institution, yes, with a certain eclecticism of causes, as, for example, in the case of ecology”.
However, says Viriato Soromenho-Marques – who supported the party in 2015 – “there seems to have been a break in party competence”. That is to say: “Ecology and the Environment, two of the main flags of the party, are areas that are necessary to study more than just for taste and no party here has this structure. On the other hand, with the war in Ukraine, there was an opportunity for the party to differentiate itself from other leftist forces, and in my opinion no such distinction existed.”
Does this mean that Livre will not have room to grow, also because of the proximity of ideas with other parties? “Not necessarily. But there is a problem that Livre has not been able to overcome so far. Often it is necessary to have familiar voices saying different things, but legitimate ones. To have something original here. In my opinion, neither Neither PAN, nor Livre, nor even the Bloco de Esquerda stand out in this respect, and yes, there could be growth potential for both parties.’ According to Viriato Soromenho-Marques, the parties – and Livre in particular – have could benefit “by fearlessly explaining things in Parliament as they are. There are a number of issues that have not yet been addressed. It has to be said that there are no free lunches, that energy production has environmental costs, whether it’s lithium batteries or cutting down cork oaks to build parks with solar panels.’ And this is true, says Viriato Soromenho-Marques, there might be room for the party to grow: ‘No fear. Tell it like it is.”
That is to say, both analysts heard by the DN acknowledge that there is room for the party to evolve, by leaving the sole deputy and moving to a parliamentary group. However, it is necessary to bet on stronger and more pronounced ideals, trying to distinguish the party from its closest competitors.
In fact, the intention to grow is assumed by Rui Tavares himself when questioned by DN. It remains to be seen whether the next elections – in Madeira and the European one – will already illustrate this will, not least because in Livre’s case Europe is one of the programmatic strengths.
Rui Tavares: ‘Livre no longer wants to be a small party’
What is your assessment of this year in office, from a personal point of view and from a party point of view?
A very positive balance. Livre is a party of solutions, anchored in values of solidarity, ecology and freedom, and has consolidated this image in the electorate, as well as our strategy, through proposals for the present and the future – from the 3C Casa Conforto and Climate of the National Railroad Pass, which goes through unemployment benefits for victims of domestic violence at their request, and the four-day work week. With this ability to make proposals, more and more people see Livre as part of the solution.
What are the next goals to address?
Livre needs to grow, not because any party wants it to, but simply because by growing Livre we will help the country avoid a deep political and social crisis. If, on the one hand, we have an increasingly radical right, which also includes the dangerous far right, and on the other, a left still traumatized by the end of this apparatus, Livre’s growth is essential to give hope to people in a modern society and democracy., European.
How do you see the future of Livre, almost 10 years after its foundation?
Livre will now do what it was born ten years ago: form and represent the field of the European Green Left in Portugal. In many European countries, this field represents five, ten or even fifteen percent and more of the electorate, and we will eventually get there. At the same time, Livre will continue on the path of being a different party from the others, as will now be seen with the creation of the José Tengarrinha Institute, in which most of the social bodies will be formed by people outside the party. We will make a big bet on political training in the fields of political ecology, left libertarianism and Europeanism, and this more ideological work will also find its discreet but safe path.
There will soon be two electoral laws: Madeira and European. What are Livre’s goals/ambitions in both, as they are different realities?
These are two very different electoral acts. In Madeira, our intention is to capitalize on our candidacy, which saw Tiago Camacho elected in the primaries and heads a list that includes a large number of independents, building the regional pole of green affairs and progressivism that has hitherto in Madeira and which other parties are unwilling or unable to build. In the case of the Europeans, who tell us a lot about our innovative Europeanism, and who are roughly in the middle of the political cycle, the election to the European Parliament will send the message to the electorate that Livre no longer wants to be a small party. and become a medium-sized party that counts more and more for the future of our country.
Source: DN
