Seguro Draws a Red Line: No New Portuguese Government Without Full Transparency

Presidential Candidate António José Seguro Places Transparency at the Heart of Government Formation

António José Seguro, who is once again in the running for Portugal’s highest office, announced this weekend that he will only invite a prime-minister-designate to form a cabinet after receiving a written commitment to a strict code of transparency and ethical conduct.

A Pre-Condition for Appointing the Next Government

Under the Portuguese Constitution, the President consults party leaders and subsequently nominates a prime minister. Seguro says he intends to use that prerogative more assertively: any nominee will have to endorse a set of “non-negotiable principles”—public disclosure of interests, open procurement procedures, quarterly reports on ministerial spending, and an external audit of political appointments—before receiving the presidential nod.

“Citizens will no longer be asked to take promises on trust,” he told supporters in Coimbra. “They will be able to verify, in real time, whether their government is living up to the standards it has pledged.”

Why the Pledge Matters Now

Portugal has witnessed a succession of court cases involving alleged misuse of public funds over the past decade. Polling by Eurobarometer in September found that 62 % of Portuguese respondents link political corruption to lower living standards. Against that backdrop, Seguro believes a presidential imprimatur on transparency could help restore confidence in public institutions.

Constitutional scholar Teresa Violante notes that the head of state has broad leeway to set conditions before giving a green light to a new executive, provided the requirements are general and do not favour any single party. “Requiring transparency benchmarks meets that test,” she argues, though she cautions that enforcement would still depend on parliamentary majorities passing the necessary legislation.

What the ‘Transparency Compact’ Would Contain

According to draft guidelines circulated by Seguro’s campaign, would-be prime ministers would have to agree to:

Publish an itemised list of direct and indirect financial interests for each cabinet member within ten days of taking office.

Introduce a unified digital portal where all public tenders above €50,000 appear, including evaluation criteria and final contracts.

Present quarterly spending reports, certified by the Court of Auditors, covering every ministry and state-owned company.

Limit the use of discretionary appointments and subject senior advisers to the same asset-declaration rules as ministers.

Empower a whistle-blower protection office under the Public Prosecutor to investigate tip-offs without prior political approval.

Failure to table the relevant bills in parliament within 60 days would, in Seguro’s model, trigger a public statement from the presidency and the possibility of refusing to promulgate other government initiatives until compliance is achieved.

Party Reactions

• The governing centre-right coalition welcomed the focus on transparency but labelled the timeline “impractical.”• Left Bloc and Livre said they would back binding transparency clauses if they also covered lobbying activities.• Chega accused Seguro of “presidential activism,” insisting anti-corruption policy is a matter for parliament, not Belém Palace.

A Global Pivot Toward Openness

Seguro’s move comes as other jurisdictions strengthen their own disclosure rules. In Brazil, the insurance market is undergoing a major overhaul under Law 15 040/2024, due to take effect in December 2025. The statute introduces plain-language contracts, hard deadlines for claims handling, and heavy fines for misleading advertising—measures regulators say will “reset” consumer trust.

Brazil’s supervisory authority SUSEP has already published its 2025 regulatory plan, promising exhaustive public consultations and real-time dashboards on complaint resolution. Many analysts view the initiative as a model for other sectors.

“Whether you are running a country or a financial conglomerate, the pressure for verifiable transparency is intensifying,” says Alexandra Silva, partner at EY Portugal. She cites the firm’s Global Insurance Outlook 2024, which links higher trust scores to stronger growth and lower capital costs.

Evidence That Openness Pays Off

A cross-regional study by Lisbon’s Nova SBE released in June found that companies complying with the EU’s updated sustainability-reporting rules saw a six-point jump in customer trust indices over 18 months. Nova SBE researchers argue that similar gains could materialise in the public sector if citizens are given timely, digestible data on how tax money is spent.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese Insurance and Pension Funds Authority (ASF) has floated a proposal to mirror Brazil’s plain-language requirement in motor-insurance policies, underscoring the contagion effect of transparency mandates.

The Road Ahead

Portugal heads to the polls in January. If elected, Seguro would be sworn in by March and would immediately begin consultations on government formation. Legal experts agree that the constitutional framework allows a president to demand written commitments, but the durability of the plan will hinge on parliamentary support and the willingness of ministries to digitalise records quickly.

Even critics concede, however, that the debate has already shifted. “No political leader can now ignore the question, ‘Show us the rules you will follow,’” says Luís Tavares, director of transparency watchdog TI-PT. “That, in itself, is progress.”