The President of the Republic has convened a meeting of the Council of State for this Monday, after hearing the parties represented in the Parliament of the Azores, following the failure of the 2024 regional budget.
On November 30, a note on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet stated that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, after listening to the parties, decided to convene a meeting of the Council of State at the Palácio de Belém .
The note states that on that day the parties were heard “on the political situation in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, following the non-approval of the 2024 budget, including, in particular, the issue contained in the provisions of paragraph j) of Article 133 of the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic”.
Pursuant to paragraph j) of Article 133 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic is responsible for “dissolving the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Regions, after consulting the Council of State and the parties represented therein”.
At the end of the hearing, the president of the Azores governor, José Manuel Bolieiro, of the PSD, and the other two parties in the governing coalition, CDS-PP and PPM, defended the holding of early regional elections, given the prospect of a new lead if a second regional budget proposal for 2024 were presented.
The Council of State is chaired by the Head of State and inherently has as members the holders of the positions of President of the Assembly of the Republic, Prime Minister, President of the Constitutional Court, Ombudsman, Presidents of regional governments and former Presidents of the Republic.
Under the terms of the Constitution, this consultative body also includes five citizens appointed by the Head of State – António Lobo Xavier, Luís Marques Mendes, Leonor Beleza, António Damásio and Lídia Jorge – and five elected by the General Assembly of the Republic. are currently Carlos César, Manuel Alegre, António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Francisco Pinto Balsemão and Miguel Cadilhe.
The budget proposal for the Azores was generally rejected on November 23 with votes against from PS, BE and IL and abstentions from Chega and PAN, after receiving only positive votes from the three parties that make up the regional government, PSD and CDS. -PP and PPM, and independent deputy Carlos Furtado, former Chega.
Article 15 of Law 79/98, the Budget Framework Law for the Autonomous Region of the Azores, provides that, if the Regional Legislative Assembly does not approve the budget proposal for the region, “the Regional Government shall submit it to the Regional Legislative Assembly in consultation”. new budget proposal for the relevant economic year within 90 days from the date of rejection”.
The executive led by José Manuel Bolieiro no longer has parliamentary majority support since one of the two deputies elected by Chega became independent and the Liberal Initiative deputy broke with the respective parliamentary influence agreement in March this year.
The PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition government maintains a parliamentary advocacy agreement with Chega’s now sole deputy in the Azores parliament.
Source: DN
