I heard the opposition
However, he thanked President Antonio Costa for his “willingness” to continue leading the government until his successor takes office. The conservative president spoke after listening a few hours ago to members of the Council of State, an advisory body, about the political situation in the country.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa chose to call elections, in response to the request of the main opposition parties of the right and left, which he received on Wednesday, in order to overcome the political crisis caused by the sudden resignation of Antonio Costa.
He did not accept the proposal of the Socialists, who preferred a solution of continuity, with the appointment of a new prime minister who would rule with the support of the majority they enjoyed in Parliament. The president explained that this result would not be ideal because the prime minister “will not obtain legitimacy through the popular vote.”
Cancellation must benefit the right
It is possible that the Socialist Party, the formation of the Prime Minister, will suffer from this situation and lose its absolute majority in the Assembly, which may be to the advantage of the right, which had also called for the dissolution of the Assembly. Opposition leader Luis Montenegro, head of the center-right Social Democratic Party, announced that “the government has collapsed from within, and the legitimacy of the Socialist Party has collapsed.” Andre Ventura, head of the far-right Chiga party, added: “We must call for elections as soon as possible.”
