May 26, 2021:
Paula do Espírito Santo (ISCSP/UL) and Felisbela Lopes (ISC/UM): "Semi-presidentialism, political cohabitation spaces and political and media exposure: the case of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa". Presentation and moderation: Bruno da Costa (Praxis/UBI).

Abstract:

The 20th President of the Portuguese Republic inaugurated, in March 2016, a distinctive mandate, considering his political interpretation of the president’s Constitutional powers. In a daily basis, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa speaks, mostly, of what he considers more strategic in the national agenda setting, extending permanently his action to the Government areas of influence. This is legitimized by two forces that this President does not neglect: the popularity that he gathers together with the Portuguese people and the media attention he causes in journalists. This is where his strength lies to test some of the presidential powers set by the Constitution.
In this contribution, we will identify how the President developed his powers, considering the Portuguese daily press news published about himself, during the first two years of his term (9 March 2016 to 9 March 2018). Based on an universe of 1.537 news articles published during this period, in Diário de Notícias, Jornal de Notícias, Público and Correio da Manhã, we identify the presidential powers that have been highlighted in the press, and we undertake a deep analysis around three political situations that played a role in the way the President avenged his position next to the Government: the President’s political influence on the course of the Portuguese public bank (Caixa Geral de Depósitos); the coordination of the operations on the swipe of military equipment in Tancos; and the President’s support to the fire victims which affected the Centre region of Portugal, in 2017. The expected results are to examine the proximity between voters and elected politicians, promoted by the presidential figure, and amplified by the press. In other words, the aim is to identify the molds and the role of the press as an essential engine towards the presidential political message and personal projection, in terms of the use of the public media space.

Speakers bio-note:

Paula do Espírito Santo is Associate Professor with Aggregation at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP) – Lisbon University and Visiting Professor in other Portuguese and foreign Universities. She is integrated researcher of CAPP (FCT-ISCSP) and collaborator of ICPOL (Research Centre of the Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security). Among her latest contributions are, in 2015, Introdução à Metodologia das Ciências Sociais (Lisboa, Sílabo); in edition with Rita Figueiras (2016), Beyond Internet - Unplugging the Protest Movement Wave (USA: Routledge); in edition with Marco Lisi (2017), Militants and Activism in Political Parties - Portugal in Comparative Perspective (Lisbon: ICS). She has been coordinator and participant in several projects in the field of political sociology, social science methodology and political communication.

One of the last projects stands out, the international project MAPP (Members and Activists of Political Parties), where she coordinates, together with Marco Lisi, the research on Portuguese members and activists.

Felisbela Lopes is Associate Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Minho and integrated researcher of Centre for Communication and Society Studies (CECS). Between 2009 and 2014, she was Pro-Rector for the area of Communication at this university. Her research areas are television information, focusing on public service media; communication and health journalism; and political journalism, focusing on the media coverage of the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic. She was the main researcher of two research projects financed by FCT: "The Illness in News" and "Television Journalism and Citizenship: the challenges of the public sphere in the digital era". She is the author of several books, including: Marcelo, Presidente todos os dias (Porto Editora, 2019); Jornalista: uma profissão ameaçada (Alêtheia, 2015); Vinte Anos de TV Privada em Portugal (Editora Guerra e Paz, 2012); A TV do Real (Minerva, 2008); A TV das Elites (Campo das Letras, 2007). She is resident commentator for RTP for communication issues and weekly columnist for Jornal de Notícias and monthly for Correio do Minho.

Edição online

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