Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Thursday that he will dissolve the parliament and call for early legislative elections on March 10, 2024, following the resignation of Prime Minister Antonio Costa amid a corruption scandal.
Costa, a Socialist who has led Portugal since 2015, stepped down on Tuesday after his chief of staff and four other people were arrested and one of his ministers was named as a suspect in a police raid related to lithium mine concessions and green energy projects.
The president said he made the decision to dissolve the parliament after consulting with the political parties and the Council of State, an advisory body of former politicians and other prominent figures. He said the parties were “clearly in favor” of this solution, while the Council of State was divided.
Costa will remain as the caretaker prime minister until the election, which will take place two years ahead of schedule. The president said he hoped the election would bring “political stability and credibility” to the country, which is facing economic and social challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The corruption investigation, which has shaken the political scene in Portugal, involves allegations of malfeasance, corruption of elected officials and influence peddling related to the granting of licenses for lithium mining near the border with Spain and the development of a green hydrogen plant and a data centre in Sines, on the south coast.
The investigative judge who ordered the raids and arrests said there were “strong indications” that the suspects had received “advantages of a patrimonial nature” in exchange for “favouring certain economic groups” in the public tenders for the projects.
Costa, who won a landslide election last year, denied any wrongdoing and said he was unaware of the investigation until the day of the raid. He said he decided to resign to “preserve the dignity of the office” and to avoid “any suspicion” over his government.
The corruption scandal has tarnished the image of Costa, who was widely praised for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis and his role in the European Union, where Portugal held the rotating presidency in the first half of 2023.
The early election will likely be a tight race between the Socialists and the main opposition party, the centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD), which has been critical of Costa’s government and has called for a parliamentary inquiry into the corruption case.
The outcome of the election will also depend on the performance of the smaller parties, such as the Left Bloc, the Communist Party, the People-Animals-Nature Party and the Liberal Initiative, which have been gaining ground in recent polls.
source: theportugalnews.com, politico.eu, timesofindia.indiatimes.com, pbs.org,usnews.com
