Udo di Fabio lectured at Law School on the functions of parties in democratic systems
The role of political parties in democracy, their constitutional status, funding and development have been addressed in a lecture delivered by German jurist Udo Di Fabio, former judge of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany and Universität Bonn professor, on Wednesday, May 9, at the Law School. Di Fabio introduced the academic community to the historical process of development of parties in Germany and the existing system, and focused on his funding model and the Brazilian one. The President of PUCRS, Br. Dr Evilázio Teixeira, claimed that addressing these issues is such a relevant thing in view of the current political scenario. “The topic that was addressed in the lecture can sparkle a very timely discussion today in Brazil as we have elections soon and also because of the current political scenario, which is calling us to reflect upon reality and improve our institutions and systems”
Di Fabio also stated that, despite the current stability that can be observed in the political and party systems in Germany, the relationship between citizens and parties have been shaky and mistrustful, but this has helped them develop a transparent and efficient model. “Political parties are the bridge between society and the decision makers in the State. They are the skeleton of a democratic society”, said he. The Consul General of Germany to Porto Alegre, Mr Stefan Traumann, sees this discussion as very fruitful for the Brazilian society, as well as for the European one, since both party systems are not very clear but have not been able to make things clearer to society.
Despite the discussions on the funding models in Germany and in Brazil, Di Fabio claimed that finances are not the most important factor to be considered in an election, and that public opinion in the current society depends on factors beyond campaign funding, since there are open channels for discussion, such as social networks or the role played by intellectuals in disseminating ideas. “It is not so easy to make money into power. But we need to keep that under control”, said he. The Universität Bonn Professor, in the presence of the coordinator of the Graduate Program in Law , Dr Ingo Sarlet, discussed other issues, such as the crisis of confidence in political parties in Brazil and the focus on political personalities, political freedom and the differences between Presidentialism and Parlamentarism, as they answered questions by the audience.
The lecture Political parties in democracy – Constitutional status, funding and social development was sponsored by the Consulate General of Germany in Porto Alegre and the Embassy of Germany in Brasília, with the support from the School of Humanities, Law School, the Graduate Program in Law of UFRGS and the Center for German and European Studies (CDEA). The event featured the following professors: Senior Vice President Dr Jaderson Costa da Costa, the Vice President for Undergraduate Studies and Continuing Education, Br. Manuir José Mentges, and the Vice President for Community Affairs, Marcelo Bonhemberger, as well as the Director and Vice Director of CDEA, Dr Claudia Lima Marques and Dr Draiton Gonzaga Souza, Dean of the School of Humanities, and Dean of Law School, Dr Fabrício Dreyer de Ávila Pozzebon.
