President to hear advisors before deciding on dissolving parliament

The president of Portugal on Tuesday said it was essential to hear the opinions of the state advisers on dissolving parliament, which will happen this Wednesday, and stressed that the choice of date for elections would only be announced later.

Speaking to journalists, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa distinguished between these two moments: the question of dissolution, which “is closed” on Wednesday with the hearing of the Council of State, and the date of early parliamentary elections, which he will consider “the day after”.

“We are still at the stage of the first choice, the first decision. Then there will be 24 hours until I speak to the country early Thursday evening, and then I will put the two questions together: the dissolution question yes or no; if yes, what is the date of the elections,” he declared.

Asked if there is still the possibility of not dissolving parliament, he replied: “I will hear the opinion of the Council of State and only after that will I take the formal decision on that matter. And if it is a case of dissolution, I will choose a date for elections.

Asked if the opinion of the political organ of presidential consultation would be decisive, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “it is fundamental to listen to the Council of State and hear the councillors’ reasons is not a mere ‘pro forma'”.

“I want to hear the opinions of the various councillors, which are many, and cover a huge spectrum of Portuguese life. Then I take that decision. And then, if necessary, I will decide on the date of the elections,” he reiterated.