President hopes to appoint government with viable programme
"The president is free to appoint a government with the certainty that it will not be rejected immediately. He is not free to appoint one without that certainty”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The president of Portugal said on Thursday that he wants to appoint a government with the certainty that its programme will be viable in parliament, which he considered “the fundamental issue” in this matter.
“The president is free to appoint a government with the certainty that it will not be rejected immediately. He is not free to appoint one without that certainty”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in response to questions from journalists at the Belém Palace in Lisbon.
Asked if he would acknowledge a government from a party that did not win the elections but was able to govern, the head of state replied that “that is not the fundamental issue”, but rather “being certain that the government that will be appointed can implement its programme”.
“Now, what must be avoided in these circumstances is a government that, from the outset, having listened to all the parties, has no conditions to be viable in parliament”, he said.
According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this first phase of the campaign for the snap legislative elections on 18 May “has already been positive” in terms of possible support bases, “because in one way or another the various parties are beginning to define their positions on this issue”.
“The parties either call for increased support in parliament, seeking more substantial, broader support. Or they talk about agreements or understandings as possibilities for the future, or they show their willingness to engage in dialogue with other parties to strengthen their support base in the event of victory. Or they say they will not be a problem regarding the country’s stability”, he said.
Under the Constitution, “the president appoints the prime minister after consulting the parties represented in parliament and taking into account the election results”.
The government’s programme is submitted to Parliament “within a maximum of ten days after its appointment” and any parliamentary group may “propose the rejection of the programme or the government may request the approval of a vote of confidence”.
