“the normal non-abnormal, within the rules of the game”
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In Portugal, the head of state Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced yesterday his decision to dissolve the parliament and to schedule legislative changes for January 30, 2022, following the lead a few days ago of the proposed State Budget of the government led by the Socialists, what according to the President constituted an institutional crisis.
In this regard, when announcing his decision yesterday, the Portuguese President invoked that “divided the government’s support base” by António Costa. Regarding the date chosen by him, the President of the Republic argued that it is sensible for the debates and campaign to take place in early January, so as not to coincide with the festive period of Christmas and New Year, which could lead to an increase in abstention .
A choice the Socialist Party said “understand and respect”, the formation of António Costa making on the other hand the guarantee that there would be no power vacuum. The PCP, in turn, considers that a data from January 30th chosen for the realization of the anticipated legislatives is “Incomprehensibly late” and gives the feeling of being conditioned by “Candidacies for party leaders”.
In the coming weeks, both the CDS-PP, on the right, and the Social Democrats, of which the President of the Republic was leader, will hold their respective congresses and renew their leadership.
Reacting to the presidential decision, the current leader of the PSD and candidate for his own succession, Rui Rio qualified as “Absurd” and “unequal” its formation is in an internal electoral process in the middle of the legislative preparation period. However, Rui Rio accepted the decision and reiterated that he would try “Do an exercise” to compress “In a week or two” the internal PSD calendar.
In the view of Adelino Maltez, a political scientist linked to the University of Lisbon, who is relatively calm in view of the prospect of the upcoming electoral process, it will not be for the PSD that any problem will arise. As for the political benefit that the far right of Chega could possibly have, the full professor believes that this party “it will grow but in a limited way, it is not 10% of the presidential ones, it could be 5 or 6%; but it will have a parliamentary group as of the next 30th of January”.
Politologist Adelino Maltez on the position of the PSD and Chega
When considering, on the other hand, that the phase that “it’s normal in abnormal, within the rules of the game”, the university student only emphasizes that, in accordance with what is stipulated in the Portuguese Constitution, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will have increased powers until the legislative meetings are held. “He has more powers than ever. We’re going to have two months of presidentialism, something that doesn’t happen in Portugal the rest of the time.”, observes Adelino Maltez.
Politologist Adelino Maltez on choosing the date of January 30, 2022 for information on
It should be noted that, as informed in the Assembly of the Republic, parliamentarians have work scheduled until the 26th of November. According to the Portuguese Constitution, the necessary advance legislation must take place within 60 days after the dissolution of the parliament, which consequently means that the presidential decision can only be officially decreed from the next December 1st.