There is a ritual that repeats whenever the Assembly of the Republic hosts a debate with greater media attention. A deputy stands up, reads a prepared intervention for the confrontation, waits for the reaction from the opposing bench, and offers the cameras the phrase that the party will publish on social media a few minutes later. The video is cut, subtitled, accompanied by music or by an indignant description.
The article describes how political parties transform parliamentary debates into spectacles for social media. Interventions are carefully prepared, the most impactful moments are selected and edited, and communication is adapted to maximize online engagement. This phenomenon transforms political discussion into theater where public image and partisan narrative predominate over the substantive content of proposals.
The piece suggests that this behavior is common to all political parties, without exception, creating a cycle where parliamentary politics becomes more performance than substance. The title "The country sitting in the audience" reinforces the idea that citizens are mere spectators of a rehearsed spectacle, where authenticity and genuine debate are replaced by communication strategies.
