Lisbon, Nov 10: Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has announced snap parliamentary elections for March 10, 2024, following the resignation of Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Tuesday amid an ongoing corruption investigation. In a televised national address after a meeting with the Council of State, President Rebelo de Sousa said the decision on early elections was intended to “provide clarity and direction to address the unexpected void that surprises the Portuguese.”
President Rebelo de Sousa underlined his intention to dissolve Parliament and call for early legislative elections, thereby ensuring “the guarantee of indispensable economic and social stability provided by the prior vote on the state budget for 2024”. Could. The 2024 budget bill received preliminary approval from the House on October 31, with a final vote on November 29.
- Advertisement -
President Rebelo de Sousa expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Costa for his public service and expressed hope that time will bring clarification on the allegations against the former Prime Minister. The President stressed the importance of approving the budget to meet citizens’ expectations and to continue the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which he said should not be disrupted by a change in the caretaker government or the subsequent dissolution of Parliament.
The development comes in the wake of the Public Prosecutor’s Office launching an investigation into alleged corruption involving Costa in lithium and hydrogen exploitation contracts. The investigation resulted in Costa’s resignation and the indictment of nine suspects, five of whom were detained.
