Talks to continue for at least a week
As a result of last night’s election results, President Marcelo will begin hearing the various parties with seats in parliament from tomorrow.
Reports suggest Portugal’s head of State is in ‘no rush’ to reach any kind of decision. The way ahead is fraught with issues, not least the precarious reality of AD’s ‘win’.
The irony of the congratulations conveyed today by Spain’s PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo speaks volumes: Feijóo also won Spain’s last legislative elections, but failed spectacularly to form a government.
So far, all we know is that President Marcelo will start with the smaller parties. First up tomorrow will be PAN, at 5pm. PAN has only one MP, albeit it appears to have received more votes this time round, compared to the 2022 elections.
Wednesday will see the turn of LIVRE (4 MPs); Thursday CDU (4 MPs); Friday Bloco de Esquerda (5 MPs), Saturday Iniciativa Liberal (7 MPs).
All the meetings are scheduled for 5pm.
Next week, on Monday March 18, the President will sit down with CHEGA (46 MPs). This meeting will be arguably the most ‘crucial’.
The next day will be the turn of PS Socialists (77 MPs), and then finally on Wednesday March 20, it will be the moment for Marcelo’s meeting with AD (Aliança Democrática), led by PSD leader Luís Montenegro.
By this time, it is expected that the votes from the emigré constituencies will be known – meaning, the president will be in a position to swear in a new government.
Whether that new government will be the stable government Marcelo has stressed the country needs is what remains, at this point, an unknown. ND
