A storm is brewing at the heart of the club’s democracy. The ‘Servir o Benfica’ (SoB) movement is pushing back hard against new election rules. These rules come from the current club board. Members will vote on them at a General Assembly set for September 27th. ‘Servir o Benfica’ has already declared its own bid for the General Assembly Board. João Ferreira Leite leads this group of members.
SoB says these proposed rules directly clash with the club’s new statutes. They also ignore what members want. This includes important points about electronic voting and how voter lists are checked. It’s the General Assembly Board’s job to make sure laws and statutes are followed strictly. So, SoB wonders how the MAG could even put this proposal forward. They believe it should have been tossed out after a proper review.
The movement shared its concerns on social media. They stated that if their bid for the General Assembly Board succeeds, club statutes and member wishes will always be respected. They promised these things would never again fall victim to the whims of any club board. ‘Servir o Benfica’ insists it will not approve any voting method that creates doubt about the election. They also won’t allow anything that risks the privacy of members’ votes. Any rule that breaks the statutes or disrespects members will be rejected.
Here’s where things get tricky: the club’s new statutes are not yet in force. They only become official when an election is called. But, for some unknown reason, that call hasn’t happened yet. The club board went ahead and published election rules under the old statutes. Oddly, these rules then refer to the future statutes many times. It’s as if the new rules are already in place, but they aren’t.
José Pereira da Costa, who leads the General Assembly Board (MAG), also faces criticism. SoB points out that his statement seems to ignore this reality. He simply called a General Assembly to approve the election rules. Yet, the main club elections haven’t even been announced. It’s a shame, SoB says, that the meeting is just for a vote on the document. There’s no chance for members to discuss it first or suggest improvements.
This situation leads to a clear conclusion, according to SoB. The club’s leadership has again missed a chance to open its doors to members. They could have listened and included members in a key decision. This decision is about the most vital act in the club’s life: its elections.