All Portuguese parties ask president to call early elections except Costa’s socialists

All political forces in Portugal asked President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Wednesday to call early elections ‘in two months’, following Prime Minister António Costa’s resignation, Report informs, citing Euractiv.

Prime Minister António Costa resigned on Tuesday after it was confirmed he is being investigated as part of a wider high-level corruption probe into mining and energy concessions.

“The preferred solution” for the socialists is for the president to appoint a caretaker prime minister to head a new government supported by the current socialist parliamentary majority.

However, opposition leader Luís Montenegro, head of center-right PSD (EPP), calls for early elections “as soon as possible”. The same was defended by the other parties, including the third-in-line party, far-right Chega.

The parties are not keen on delaying the dissolution of parliament to allow the approval – by the socialist majority – of the Portgual’s 2024 budget.

Still, Montenegro said he would not stand in the way of the budget “if it is more useful to the country”, but defended that “everything that can be accelerated must be accelerated” and elections should be held in “two months or so”.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa previously said that an early departure by António Costa would lead to the dissolution of parliament, ruling out the formation of another government with the same socialist majority.