Miguel A. Lopes / Lusa
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated this Thursday, Luís Montenegro as Prime Minister. The president of the PSD guarantees that he will “continue the one who is the will of the people” and refuses to feed the discussion of a possible constitutional revision.
After having heard the three largest parties with parliamentary representation on the formation of the new government, this Thursday, the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated Luís Montenegro as Prime Minister.
“In view of the results of the elections for the Assembly of the Republic, hearing the political parties represented in the Constitutional terms, and ensuring the parliamentary viability of the new Executive, the President indicated Dr. Luís Montenegro as Prime Minister of the XXV Constitutional Government,” reads in a published in the Presidency Portal around 6:30 pm.
In the same note, disclosed while the head of state was gathered alone with Luís Montenegro, it is said that “the appointment and possession of the government will occur after the publication of the final results of the elections and the constitutive gathering of the new legislature of the Assembly of the Republic.”
AD (PSD/CDS-PP), led by Luís Montenegro, won the legislative elections with 31.79% of the votes (added the votes of AD on the continent and wood with those of the PSD/CDS/PPM coalition in the Azores). According to the results concluded on Wednesday, the two coiled parties elected 91 deputies in 230, of which 89 are from the PSD and two from CDS-PP.
Luís Montenegro, who has been Prime Minister since April 2 last year, after a cycle of eight years of governance of the PS, will form his second executive, which will be the XXV Constitutional Government.
“Government necessarily new”
Speaking to journalists, about an hour later, Luís Montenegro assured that he will “follow the one that is the will of the people”, implying that the new government will be of continuity. Still and admitting the transition from members of the previous government, the PSD leader implied that There will be new faces: “It will be a necessarily new government”.
The Prime Minister stated that will talk to all the opposition partiesclarifying that will not give priority to any.
Montenegro has priorities
About a possible “Constitutional Review”Montenegro doesn’t want to hear about it, at least for now. “The constitutional revision It is not a government priority (…) We are not available to feed this discussion at this stage, ”he said.
Even so, admitted to make him “further forward”.
“We have as priorities the Economy growththe reinforcement of income of the Portuguese, the reinforcement of capacity in the area of healthas well housingas well educationas well security. Further forward we can discuss this subject, we will not do it in the near future, and therefore, we are not available to feed this discussion at this stage, ”he said at the Belém Palace.
About a week ago, the constitutional -which will automatically trigger a review process -, an idea supported by the arrival, which challenged the PSD and liberal leaders to a prior understanding in this matter, still without public response.
These three parties together have more than two thirds of the deputies, the necessary to approve some change, but also the sum of PSD, PS and IL parliamentarians would allow this majority.
At the XV Legislature, the PSD presented its own project of constitutional revision, but the dismissal of the then Prime Minister António Costa in November 2023 and the dissolution of Parliament dictated the early end of the work.
The 12th Process of Review of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic (only seven were successfully completed) had been triggered by presenting a project of the arrival in October 2022, followed by all benches and unique deputies, totaling eight projects and 393 proposals for alteration, revocation and adding articles to the fundamental law.
Thus, the one that would be the eighth revision of the Constitution – almost 20 years after the previous change (2005) And more than ten after the last major attempt to change it (2010/2011), failed due to the dissolution of Parliament-once again was the way a new period of ordinary revision to each legislature.
