Guards denounce a culture of favors and friendliness, with 70% of internal appointments in recent years being made without competition and with direct appointment by the general commander.
The National Association of Guard Officers (ANOG) sent a complaint to the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves, due to the recurring practice of appointing military personnel by direct choice of the general command to the detriment of opening competitions.
According to the , since 2023 the placement of military personnel through the choice system accounts for between 60% and 70% of decisionswhen it should only be applied in exceptional situations.
In the complaint sent to the Minister of Internal Administration, the officers say, by way of example, that for the last Joint Staff course “no competition was opened”, with the appointment of participants “being made directly by the general commander”, Rui Ribeiro Veloso, “without any competition and justification” and violating the principles of “legality, transparency and equal opportunities”, added ANOG.
The same has happened in the appointment of Guard soldiers for international missions. According to the officers, the commander-general, contrary to an internal rule that provides for the opening of competitions and the presentation of applications, has chosen to appoint military personnel, mostly by “direct indicationwithout opening or announcing any competition”.
ANOG’s concerns are shared by other professional associations. “We have been denouncing these issues for years, which are not transparent and favor comradeship and friendliness”, said César Nogueira, president of the Association of Guard Professionals, to Correio da Manhã.
Ricardo Rodrigues, who leads the National Association of Guard Sergeants (ANSG), also confirmed the internal malaise. “There is high dissatisfaction with this situation, because the reasons for decisions are not publishedso it cannot be contested”, he explained.
