Party leaders advocate for snap elections, which may occur on either 11 or 18 May. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is convening the Council of State tomorrow, will make the decision.
Nobody wanted early elections, but if they were to be held, they should occur as soon as possible. Today, the President of the Portuguese Republic listened to the parties with parliamentary seats in Belém to gather all the information necessary to determine the best solution to the current political impasse.
Luís Montenegro was the first to be received. The Prime Minister advocated for the swift holding of elections alongside the President of the Republic, emphasising that they “must occur promptly.” He acknowledged that the “country is facing a challenging situation” and, while adding that “although this is not an ideal scenario,” he assured that the country would not endure any “disruption in its operations,” particularly regarding the implementation of the RRP.
The PSD National Council met on Wednesday evening to analyse the political situation.
Pedro Nuno Santos followed. The leader of the largest opposition party said that, despite not being the desirable scenario, holding elections “is the only way we have to clarify the political situation in Portugal” and that the electoral act should be seen as an “opportunity to unblock the political crisis we are in and start a new phase of political life in Portugal” with “confidence in the government and the prime minister”.
Chega blames the government but is ready for a post-election agreement – without Montenegro
The third-most significant political force in parliament also defended the holding of elections and is confident that the President of the Republic also understands this.
“I am also convinced that this Thursday, we will have an announcement of the dissolution of Parliament and the scheduling of elections for 11 May. I think this – at 99 per cent – is what will happen”, said André Ventura after he met with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The Chega leader says the party is even available for a post-election agreement with the PSD, but only if Luís Montenegro is out of the equation. “Luís Montenegro is a ‘no is no’, and it’s not retaliation. It’s because, under these circumstances, it’s impossible to trust this prime minister to be able to govern,” he said.
The Liberal Initiative also called for early elections to be held “as soon as possible,” stressing the date of 11 May. Rui Rocha guaranteed the party would enter the polls alone and “with an ambitious campaign.”
Still, on the right, the CDS-PP, the party that makes up the government coalition, agrees with 11 and 18 May, although with a slight preference for the second date due to the 13 May pilgrimages. Nuno Melo said that the party will do everything it can to ensure that “the good government that has fallen is reinstated”, trying to “achieve justice in the face of a needless political crisis” on the streets. The CDS leader and current Defence Minister blames the current situation on the opposition parties, especially Pedro Nuno Santos’ PS.
Left defends snap elections, hoping to emerge strengthened
Mariana Mortágua, from the Left Bloc, also argued that the elections should be held as soon as possible, but contrary to what some leaders have said, she rooted for 18 May, citing administrative reasons. “We think 18 May is more reasonable, so there is time to fulfil the legal obligations,” especially for the smaller parties.
The leader of the Left Bloc wants to overcome the “noise” expected during the electoral campaign and “take advantage of the elections to discuss important problems, such as housing, labour issues, and health.” Mortágua recognises it will be a “difficult campaign” but says she is “hopeful and confident that the left can emerge strengthened.”
The Left Bloc ruled out establishing scenarios regarding a possible post-election alliance with the PS but said the party had never “failed to engage in any dialogue.”
Paulo Raimundo, secretary-general of the PCP, said he was “following the timetable” that Marcelo had already anticipated for the elections, referring to 11 and 18 May, without revealing a preference.
In response to questions about possible alliances on the left, the Communist leader said that “it’s the people who decide” and that there will only be a solution “the stronger the PCP becomes”.
On leaving the meeting, Rui Tavares declared that he preferred 11 May as the election date. Regarding agreements on the left and a possible pre-election coalition, the leader of the Livre party said that this issue was a “phantom thrown up by the right”, refusing to point out scenarios. However, the MP did not refuse to take up arms against Luís Montenegro, saying he didn’t understand how the still prime minister could be a candidate again.
‘Preventive inquiry’ into PM’s family company opened
Given the communications from the party leaders and the track record of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s decision has been widely announced. Still, the final announcement is not yet known. In addition to the meetings with the parties, Marcelo has also convened the Council of State, which will take place tomorrow, so a decision should only be made after the meeting.
The current political crisis comes after the vote of no confidence in the government, which was vetoed by all the opposition except the Liberal Initiative. The vote followed two motions of censure, which the Prime Minister survived, launched by Chega and the PCP following the controversy involving Luís Montenegro and the Spinumviva family company. The case raised doubts about compliance with the regime of incompatibilities and impediments for public and political office holders.
This Wednesday, it became known that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a “preventive enquiry” into the company owned by the Prime Minister’s family to assess whether elements justify an enquiry. According to the Attorney General of the Republic, Amadeu Guerra, three complaints about the company have reached the Attorney General’s Office, but “from the elements we have collected so far, there are no grounds to open an enquiry.”
