Speaker refuses to set inquiry up because parliament has been dissolved
Parliamentary speaker José Pedro Aguiar-Branco left PS Socialists ‘eating dust’ as he refuses to grant their request for a committee of inquiry into the ‘fulfilment of the prime minister’s duties’.
It was this decision, by Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, to request an inquiry that tipped the balance in the political tussles that led to the catastrophic ‘motion of confidence’ earlier this month, that in turn has led to the scheduling of yet more ‘snap elections’.
But after all the talk of it (and how it would potentially damage the prime minister), Aguiar Branco has said “no can do”, on the grounds that parliament has been ‘dissolved’.
In a very verbose explanation in the form of an order signed by himself, it was explained that “it is concluded that the supervening act of dissolution has internal structural effects that are reflected in the activity of the parliamentary body, namely in the functioning of the parliamentary committees of inquiry, which do not continue to function after the dissolution of parliament (…) Therefore, it is decided: Not to admit the request for the potestative constitution of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry, presented by the PS; not to recognise the legality and constitutionality of the request, due to its uselessness.”
The order went on for some time, essentially saying the same thing: ‘no parliamentary inquiry’. Perhaps PS Socialists will insist on one in the next legislature (if they lose the elections) – but that is for another day. For now, the ‘slow cooking’ of Luís Montenegro over the ins and outs of his involvement in his family business is off the menu. ND
Source material: LUSA
