The President of the Republic declared today that, if the intervention of the Assembly of the Republic is deemed necessary to adopt measures against Covid-19, it is available to decree its dissolution within the deadline, which is December 5th.
In response to questions from journalists, in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that after the session with experts, on Friday, at Infarmed, he will have a weekly meeting with the prime minister, who will communicate to him «what the Government considers that it is fundamental” to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Portugal, and “which depends on the competence of the Government, which is in full function, which needs the intervention of the Assembly of the Republic”.
“I have already said that I am available to take the functioning of the Assembly of the Republic to the limit, reducing to the limit the number of days before the publication of the dissolution and the date of the elections. As you know, the minimum number is 55, it can be from 60 to 55. If it is very necessary, it will go to 55", added the head of state, who was speaking during a visit to the Rastrillo solidarity fair, at the Lisbon Congress Centre.
On November 4th, the President of the Republic announced to the country that he would dissolve the parliament and schedule early legislative elections for January 30th, following the vote in the general vote of the Government's 2022 State Budget proposal.
In terms of deadlines, the Constitution imposes that "in the act of dissolution of collegiate bodies based on direct suffrage, the date of the new elections must be set, which will take place within the next 60 days and by the electoral law in force at the time of dissolution, under penalty of legal non-existence of that act».
On the other hand, under the terms of the Electoral Law for the Assembly of the Republic, the President of the Republic must set the date for legislative elections, "in case of dissolution, at least 55 days in advance".
In this case, the dissolution of the parliament can only be officially decreed, therefore, from December 1st, which is the 60th day before the January 30 legislatives, and until December 5th, the 55th day before the early elections date .
Comments