The President of the Republic today decreed the dissolution of parliament and the calling of early legislative elections for March 10th, making official the announcement made to the country on November 9th.
According to the decree signed today by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and already published in the Electronic Official Gazette, which takes effect on the day of its promulgation, “the Assembly of the Republic is dissolved” and “the 10th of March 2024 is set for the election of deputies to the Assembly of the Republic».
This is the ninth dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic since April 25, 1974 and follows the resignation of the Prime Minister, António Costa, presented on November 07, due to Operation Influencer, and immediately accepted by the President of the Republic .
Under the terms of the Constitution, it is up to the President of the Republic to dissolve the Assembly of the Republic, after hearing the parties represented in it, which happened the day after the Prime Minister's resignation, 8 November, and the Council of State, which was heard on 9 from November.
Today, the opinion of the Council of State was also published in the Diário da República, which states that on November 9, this body that consults the head of State “deliberated on the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic, with there being a tie of votes”, by that “the Council was not in favor of such a dissolution”.
When he spoke to the country, on November 9, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa assumed the dissolution as his “own decision” and justified it firstly with “the nature of the vote in the 2022 elections, personalized for the prime minister, based on the his own leadership, candidacy, electoral campaign and overwhelming victory»
According to the head of state, there would be “weakness” in the “formation of a new Government with the same majority but with any other prime minister, therefore not legitimized politically and personally by the popular vote” – a solution that was proposed by the PS, as an alternative to elections, in a legislature in which there is an absolute majority of deputies.
The President of the Republic defended that for «greater clarity and a more vigorous direction», «the word should be returned to the people, without dramatization or fear», because «that is the strength of democracy: not being afraid of the people».
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decreed the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic on the last possible day to schedule early legislative elections for March 10th.
The Constitution determines that at the same time as the dissolution, the date for new elections must be set, to be held within the following 60 days. Electoral law requires that they be called at least 55 days in advance.
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