When a President lives on the edge of semi-presidentialism: portraits that the daily press outlined during Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s first half mandate
Keywords:
political journalism, thematization, semi-presidentialismAbstract
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.
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Imprensa consultada
Diário de Notícias, 11 de março de 2016
Diário de Notícias, 12 de março de 2016
Diário de Notícias, 19 de junho de 2017
Diário de Notícias, 5 de julho de 2017
Diário de Notícias, 30 de julho de 2017
Expresso, 18 de junho de 2016
Expresso, 10 de setembro de 2016
Expresso, 24 de junho de 2017
Jornal de Notícias, 7 de julho de 2017
Público, 11 de março de 2016
Público, 12 de março de 2016
Público, 5 de julho de 2016
Público, 8 de abril de 2016
Público, 5 de julho de 2016
Público, 5 de julho de 2017
Público, 26 de dezembro de 2017
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