The President of the Republic on Tuesday confirmed that he will formalize the resignation of the government “in early December”, after the final approval of the state budget for 2024, as indicated in the message to the country.
“Tomorrow [quarta-feira] The vote on the state budget ends and from now on, as I said, at the beginning of December there will be a decree on the resignation of the government and the government will become a government of management,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told reporters at the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon.
“This will be in early December. And therefore you will know when this will happen,” the head of state added, without specifying the date.
The resignation of the government “due to the acceptance of the resignation presented by the Prime Minister” is formalized by a decree signed by the President of the Republic and published in the Official Gazette.
According to paragraph 5 of Article 186 of the Constitution, “after his resignation, the government will limit itself to carrying out actions strictly necessary to ensure the management of state affairs.”
Prime Minister António Costa submitted his resignation to the President of the Republic on November 7 in connection with a judicial investigation into the installation of a data center in Sines and lithium and hydrogen plants, prompting prosecutors to open an independent investigation in the Supreme Court in which he is being prosecuted.
The head of state immediately accepted the resignation of the prime minister, although without formalizing it, and two days later announced that he would dissolve parliament and call early legislative elections for March 10, after hearing the parties with seats in parliament and the State Council.
In a message he sent to the country on November 9, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa explained that he had decided to postpone the formal process of dissolving the government until “early December” to allow the 2023 state budget to be finalized and put into effect. by virtue of.
According to the President of the Republic, it was necessary to “guarantee that irreplaceable economic and social stability that the preliminary vote on the state budget for 2024 provides.”
“The approval of the budget will allow us to meet the expectations of many Portuguese and to monitor the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which does not and cannot stop when the government takes over or later with the dissolution of the government. Assembly of the Republic,” he explained.
The final global vote on the draft state budget for 2024 in the Assembly of the Republic is scheduled for Wednesday, the approval of which is guaranteed by an absolute majority of PS deputies.
Article 195, paragraph 1, paragraph b) of the Constitution establishes that “the acceptance by the President of the Republic of the resignation submitted by the Prime Minister” is one of the circumstances “involving the resignation of the Government.”
The Prime Minister and his respective leader remain in office until his successor and the new government take office, and only then are they dismissed.
According to Article 186 of the Constitution, “in the event of resignation from the government, the Prime Minister of the outgoing government shall resign on the day of the appointment and inauguration of the new Prime Minister,” and “the functions of the remaining members of the Government of the Government begin with his inauguration and terminate with his resignation or the resignation of the Prime Minister.” .