Under Law No. 2/99, of January 13, articles 24, 25 and 26, DN received from Alberto Arons de Carvalho, the response to an article entitled “Government removes controversy on Arons de Carvalho’s departure from CGI of RTP”, published on February 19, 2026, which we reproduce here:
Dear Director of Diário de Notícias,
In accordance with the Press Law (article 24 and following), I request the publication of the following response:
Contrary to what the Code of Ethics for Journalists recommends, which requires that “the parties with relevant interests in the case” be heard, Diário de Notícias published in its February 19 edition, without having obtained my testimony and my opinion, a news item about the end of my mandate on the Independent General Council (CGI) of RTP. According to the news, which only reproduces the opinion of Minister Leitão Amaro, I would not have “signaled any opposition to the legal understanding that supports the change, nor expressed any discomfort with the replacement”, which is not true.
In fact, in the meeting I had with Minister Leitão Amaro, I had the opportunity to mention that the 6-year mandate, provided for in the RTP Statutes, should not end at the initiative of the Government after 5 years and 2 months. I am not unaware that the Minister then mentioned to me that an opinion had been requested from CEJUR – the body that the Government supervises… –, which supported this decision. However, I then judged that there was no justification for starting a legal discussion on this issue, nor would it have any practical use, since I continue to be a member of the CGI.
In fact, in my view, based on testimonies from jurists, it is a premature replacement that calls into question the independence of RTP from political power, and in my capacity as a member of the CGI, I sent a complaint a few days ago to the Regulatory Entity for Social Communication (ERC) against this Government decision.
Alberto Arons de Carvalho
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