The heartbeat of any great club lies in its members. This week, as Sport Lisboa e Benfica gears up for its pivotal leadership elections, transparency and fair play are taking center stage. The club’s General Assembly Board laid out new Electoral Regulations this Wednesday. These rules aim to ensure a level playing field for all seeking to guide the club forward.
These vital regulations will be debated and voted upon by the members. This will happen at the next General Assembly, scheduled for later this month on the 27th. The document spells out several key steps to shape the upcoming electoral campaign. It shows a commitment to open communication.
Benfica promises broad media exposure for all presidential hopefuls. The official club channel, BTV, will be a central hub. Candidates running for election will get dedicated broadcast slots. Each presidential candidate will also sit down for individual interviews on BTV. But perhaps most exciting is the planned debate on BTV, bringing all presidential candidates together. The club clarified that if any candidate declines to participate, the debate will still go ahead with the remaining contenders. The date for this crucial showdown is yet to be announced.
Beyond the airwaves, the club is opening other doors. Candidates will find reserved space in the club’s newspaper, “O Benfica.” The official club website will feature a specific area for candidates to publish their programs and lists. Members will also receive a special newsletter. This newsletter will share the complete programs and lists from all those running. To ensure everything runs smoothly, list representatives will meet with the Club’s Communications Director. This meeting will coordinate all technical and media timings.
Below, you can read, in full, Chapter V of Benfica’s Electoral Regulations, regarding “Communication and Campaign”:
Article 16
Electoral campaign and institutional communication
- The electoral campaign begins at midnight on the day following the posting of the candidacies admitted for suffrage and ends at midnight on the day before the election.
- The candidacies have at their disposal the communication channels owned by Sport Lisboa e Benfica, under equal circumstances for all lists. For this purpose, the following means and initiatives are foreseen, non-binding for the candidates:
- Broadcast slots on BTV for the candidacies running for election;
- Individual interview on BTV with each candidate for the Board’s Presidency;
- Debate on BTV with all candidates for the Board’s Presidency. Should any candidate refuse to participate, the debate will proceed with the others;
- Reserved space for each candidacy in the newspaper O Benfica;
- Creation of a specific area on the Club’s official website for the publication of programs and lists;
- Special announcement via newsletter with the complete programs and lists;
- Meeting between the list representatives and the Club’s Communications Director for technical coordination of all content and media times.