< Más Articulos : A Mandatory Requirement to Become President (Times of Israel - 6 Jan 2026)
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A Mandatory Requirement to Become President (Times of Israel - 6 Jan 2026)
Across the world, democracies continue to make the same mistake. We ask voters to choose their leaders based on speeches, slogans, and campaign storytelling, then act surprised when those leaders fail to deliver. Elections have become contests of persuasion rather than tests of merit. The result is predictable: disappointment, cynicism, and declining trust in public institutions. It is time to stop pretending this system works as it should, and to raise the standard for political leadership.
A simple reform could change everything. Anyone aspiring to the presidency should be required, by law, to demonstrate a record of significant, verifiable service to the public. Not vague claims of concern. Not symbolic gestures. Real, measurable contributions carried out before any campaign begins. If someone wants power, they should first prove they deserve it.
This is not radical. It is common sense. Leadership is not established by promises about the future but by actions in the past. A candidate who has already chosen to serve the public when no election depended on it has shown something crucial: character. And character matters more than charisma, ideology, or party loyalty.
For voters, such a reform would bring long-overdue clarity. Instead of trying to interpret speeches and campaign ads, citizens could ask a far more honest question: who has actually done something for this country? Who has improved lives, strengthened institutions, or defended the public interest, not in theory, but in practice? Elections would finally reward substance over style.
And this should not apply only to presidents or prime ministers. The same standard should be required of candidates for parliament, congress, and local office. Politics must stop being a career path and return to being a form of service. The central question of every election should change from “What do you promise?” to “What have you already proven?”
Such a shift would transform political incentives. Today, many aspiring politicians become visible only when election season arrives. Under a system that values prior service, anyone with ambitions for office would be motivated to contribute year after year, long before their name appears on a ballot. Public life would become a continuous responsibility, not a short-term performance.
Consider the scale of the opportunity. In many democracies, tens of thousands of candidates run for office in a single election cycle. Imagine the impact if every one of them were encouraged, or required by law, to make a real contribution to society before running. Some would work to improve schools. Others would fight corruption, support vulnerable communities, build ethical businesses, protect the environment, or strengthen civic institutions. Multiply that effort across thousands of candidates, election after election, and the effect would be nothing short of revolutionary.
This is how political culture changes, not through speeches about reform, but through rules that reward the right behavior. A system that demands service before power would gradually produce a new kind of political class: leaders shaped by experience, not entitlement; by responsibility, not ambition alone.
Public trust in democracy is collapsing in many parts of the world. People no longer believe that elections produce better leadership. They vote out of habit, fear, or resignation. This erosion of confidence is not accidental. It is the result of decades of lowering standards for those who seek power. Reversing this trend requires more than inspirational rhetoric. It requires structural change.
This reform would not solve every political failure. No system can guarantee perfect leaders. But it would dramatically improve the baseline. It would ensure that those who reach positions of power have already demonstrated responsibility, discipline, and commitment to the common good. That alone would be a major step forward for any democracy.
Lawmakers around the world claim they want to restore faith in public institutions. Here is their opportunity. By reforming electoral rules to require proven service before candidacy, they could leave a legacy far more meaningful than any policy speech. They could reshape the very definition of leadership.
We live in an era of political exhaustion. Citizens are tired of leaders who campaign like idealists and govern like opportunists. They are tired of promises that vanish after election day. They are tired of watching public office treated as a prize instead of a duty. This frustration is not going away on its own.
Sometimes the most powerful reforms are also the most obvious. Asking future leaders to first be proven servants of the public is not extreme. It is overdue. Democracies do not need more eloquent candidates. They need better ones.
If we want leaders worthy of trust, we must finally demand something more than words.
(https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-mandatory-requirement-to-become-president/)
( Por: Yehudi Sabbagh , 06/01/2026 )
