It seems the path to the ballot box for club elections has hit a rough patch. João Diogo Manteigas, a prominent figure, has come forward with strong accusations. He claims the General Assembly Board, often called MAG, is twisting the rules. This dispute began when the MAG rejected the ‘Benfica Vencerá’ list, intended for the Remuneration Committee.
Manteigas, an attorney, explained his decision to pull his own candidacy for that specific body. He chose to step back to "avoid conflict and suspicion." However, his public statement was a direct attack on José Pereira da Costa, who leads the MAG, and his colleagues. Manteigas didn’t mince words, declaring that the General Assembly Board is "legislating on its own."
This alleged independent rule-making could lead to problems. Manteigas warned of "elections based on arbitrary interpretations." He sees a future without clear rules approved by the club’s members. He fears a process lacking proper legal footing and democratic fairness.
The heart of the disagreement lies in Article 78, point 1, of the club’s statutes. The MAG interpreted this article to mean that only candidates running for all three other social bodies could also run for the Remuneration Committee. Manteigas, who is 43, is supporting the ‘Servir o Benfica’ list. Because of the MAG’s ruling, he had to give up his attempt to join the MAG itself. This leaves him only in the running for the Board of Directors and the Fiscal Council.
Manteigas sees this as "a new irregularity." He firmly believes the MAG’s reading of the statute stretches further than it should. In his view, Article 78 simply states that the Remuneration Committee is elected by members along with a social body, not specifying which particular one.
He pointed out his active role in the past statute revision assemblies. Manteigas emphasized that the article "does not foresee, nor authorize, its election on an autonomous list." He argued that forcing candidates to present an independent and exclusive list for the Remuneration Committee goes against the established statutes. Such a decision, he added, "creates a distortion of the electoral process."
To back his point, Manteigas referenced Article 64. This article clarifies that only the social bodies have active voting power. In turn, the statutory Remuneration Committee, when elected as part of another body, gains passive voting power. This detail strengthens his argument about how the Remuneration Committee should be linked to other official bodies.
The core of this debate revolves around a single section:
The Article in Question
“Article 78º
Composition
1. The Remuneration Committee is elected by the members in a joint list with the social bodies and has a four-year mandate”