After the resignation of Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa, it was initially unclear what would happen next politically for Portugal. Now President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has scheduled new elections for March 10th. He will only dissolve parliament after the final vote on the 2024 budget, which is scheduled to take place on November 29th. He said this in a speech to the nation after a meeting of the Council of State in Lisbon.
The socialist Costa unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday because of corruption investigations against himself and other members of the government. It is still unclear whether he was involved in the criminal business or was just an accomplice. He is expected to remain acting head of government until he is replaced, although he is under investigation. Costa has maintained his innocence.
The public prosecutor’s investigation concerns concessions for lithium development in the north of the country as well as a project for a hydrogen plant and a data center in Sines. Five people were arrested on Tuesday before Costa announced his resignation, including his chief of staff Vitor Escaria. Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba and the president of the environmental agency APA, Nuno Lacasta, were also officially classified as suspects. The public prosecutor’s office searched more than 40 objects.
No forecast for elections in March
The outcome of the new elections in March appears completely open. Until Tuesday, according to polls, Costa was considered the favorite in the next regular parliamentary election, which would not have been held until 2026. However, Portuguese media considered it unlikely that the Socialists could win an absolute majority again, as in the last election in January 2022.
After Spain, Portugal is now the second country on the Iberian Peninsula with a government that is not fully capable of acting. For Costa, the corruption scandal probably means the end of his political career.