Economic and Social Council (CES) President Francisco Assis, who heads the PS list in Porto for the next legislative elections, announced his decision to resign from his position on Thursday to Parliament President Santos Silva.
According to the CES note to which the Lusa agency had access, the decision of Francisco Assis will enter into force “from February 8, 2024, due to the inclusion in the list of candidates for the Assembly of the Republic of the PS.”
“Since it is not possible to immediately proceed with the election of a new President due to the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic, the Coordination Council and the EEA Plenary will meet on January 29 and February 7 respectively, starting to consider the appointment of an interim President,” the same note adds.
According to the newspaper Público, sociologist Sara Falcão Casaca, the current vice-president of the CES, will temporarily replace Francisco Assis as president. This replacement should take place next Monday, during the meeting of the SES Coordination Council.
Sara Falcão Casaca holds a PhD in economic sociology, chaired the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality and is an associate professor at the Higher Institute of Economics and Management of the University of Lisbon.
Francisco Assis has led the EEA since July 2020, after being elected by a vote of 170 MPs. The former Socialist parliamentary leader was re-elected to a second term in April 2022 with 192 votes in favour.