It may be a far-fetched solution, but the truth is that it has historical antecedents: in 2004, Durão Barroso resigned as Prime Minister and the then President of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio, instead of calling elections, appointed another Prime Minister of the Republic . PSD, Pedro Santana Lopes.
This is the solution that the PS now admits to the political crisis caused by the resignation of António Costa as Prime Minister. In this context, Costa would remain general secretary of the PS; but the party, anchored in its absolute majority in parliament, would appoint another person to head the government to the President of the Republic.
Carlos César, president of the PS, was very clear yesterday not to rule out this scenario: “The PS is prepared for any scenario, whether it concerns elections or a change in government leadershiphe said at the press conference at party headquarters in Lisbon where he responded to Costa’s resignation. And besides, he continued, the PS does not even have to make a choice, that is up to the President of the Republic.’ Following the hearings [com os partidos com assento parlamentar]it will be up to the President of the Republic to evaluate and announce his own judgment. If necessary, we will then comment on the decision that the President of the Republic will take in due course.”
From what DN has discovered in this case – of maintaining governance in the PS with a change of Prime Minister – two names are circulating as Costa’s favorites to succeed him: either Augusto Santos Silva, President of the Assembly of the Republic, or Mario Centeno. , Governor of the Bank of Portugal.
“Now that you have won, and have done so for four and a half years, I am sure Your Excellency knows that it will not be politically easy to take this face, which won the elections in an undisputed and remarkable way, halfway replaced by another. .”
The leading candidate to succeed Costa at the PS, Pedro Nuno Santos, maintained the strictest silence yesterday, trying to understand how trends will end. And when Costa announced that he was resigning as Prime Minister, he did not add that he was also resigning as Secretary General of the PS. And Caesar didn’t talk about it again after that. No meeting of the PS National Committee, the body that convenes party congresses, has been convened. A congress is already planned for March 2024, but now everything makes it possible that socialists will be forced to bring this forward. In the party organization, the only meeting convened for tomorrow evening is that of the National Political Commission.
This is because the President of the Republic apparently prefers the scenario he has always proposed in the event that Costa leaves the government. Although he expressed his wish for Costa’s possible voluntary departure – to move to a high European position, for example -, the truth is that the words Marcelo then used apply to any situation (voluntary change or forced by a trial court, such as is the case).
The President left the warning well in the speech he delivered when the current administration took office (March 31, 2022): “Now that you have won, and have done so for four and a half years, I am sure Your Excellency knows that this will also be the case. don’t be political. It’s easy for this man, who won the election unquestionably and remarkably, to be replaced halfway through by someone else.”
Marcelo called on all parties to go to Belém today and the Council of State will meet tomorrow. When this body was convened, it was clearly stated that the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic (in other words, the calling of elections) will be on the table (paragraph a of Article 145 of the Constitution). But he also referred to paragraph e) of the same article: “To give judgment in other cases provided for by the Constitution and, in general, to advise the President of the Republic in the exercise of his functions, when he so requests . “
“I am not going to apply for the position of prime minister again, that is very clear. It is clear that this is a phase of life that has passed.”
In other words, the dissolution of Parliament is being discussed in the Council of State, but the PR left the door open to discuss other scenarios. Most naturally, given his known preference for the dissolution scenario, he also raises another question for the advisors: the timing of this dissolution. It could happen now – which would interrupt the ongoing legislative process of approving the 2024 state budget, putting the country in twelfth position for at least six months next year; or only in about three weeks, after the approved OE2024. What the president already knows is that the parliamentary right, and BE, want early elections. PAN and Livre are placed in the hands of PR. At PS all options are open. And in the PCP, Paulo Raimundo said that “what we need are solutions and not elections.”
Costa announced to the country shortly after 2 p.m. that he had submitted his resignation to the President of the Republic. He decided to do this when he was “surprised by information officially confirmed by the press service of the Public Prosecution Service” that he was the target of criminal proceedings in the Supreme Court, as part of investigations into the lithium and hydrogen sectors. (see pages 8 and 9). At the same press conference, he left a guarantee: “I will not apply for the position of Prime Minister again, that is very clear. It is clear that this is a phase of life that has passed.” At 3:01 p.m., Marcelo announced that he had accepted Costa’s resignation.
He will address the country tomorrow, immediately after the State Council meeting.
Source: DN
