In a last-minute turn of events, the President of the PSD-Açores and the Regional Government of the Archipelago proposed to the President of the Republic that the fastest solution to the political crisis opened by the recent defeat of the Archipelago’s budget, is now progress. to early elections and even suggested a date: February 4 of the following year.
“It is better to anticipate a decision by the people and that is why I have proposed early elections to the President of the Republic as soon as possible,” said José Manuel Bolieiro, after leaving an audience with Marcelo in Belém. Bolieiro also stated that the PSD will compete in coalition with the CDS-PP and the PPM (the current governing coalition in the archipelago).
Until now, Bolieiro had stated that he preferred to schedule a second vote on the region’s Plan and Budget, and only move to early elections if a new lead was confirmed.
However, Bolieiro realized that there is no guarantee that the proposal will be adopted in this second vote – on the contrary.
Since there is now unanimity in the regional parliament in favor of holding early elections – which the regional opposition has always called for -, the President of the Republic will have to convene the Council of State, a mandatory preliminary step in the decision to dissolve the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Azores and set the date for the right to vote.
On November 23, the 2024 Plan and Budget was rejected by 28 votes against (PS+BE+IL), 27 against (PSD+CDS+PPM+ex-independent Chega delegate), with two abstentions (1 PAN delegate and another from Chega).
Chega deputy José Pacheco admitted to DN that the direction of the abstention had changed in favor. However, Carlos Furtado, an independent dissident from Chega, said at the same time that he himself would switch from voting in favor to abstaining under this circumstance. Now this vote change would produce the same end result as the first vote: a lead. This is also because the PAN’s only deputy, Pedro Neves, who abstained in the first vote, reiterated today that he would keep the same vote in a second vote.
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Source: DN
