With almost all votes cast in the elections legislative accounting on Sunday, Portugal's future remains uncertain despite the insignificant victory of the Democratic Alliance (AD), which only managed to win two more mandates than the Socialist Party in the Assembly of the Republic.
The Portuguese government: an overview of the next steps
Now it's down to the Portuguese expatriates, Europe and Overseas constituencies to determine the results, which will be announced on March 20. Four parliamentary seats remain to be filled.
Until the government assumes office in April, there's still a long way to go.
Here are the main dates for upcoming events after the elections:
- March 13the Permanent Commission of theAssembly of the Republic will meet to set the agenda for the first plenary session of the XVIth legislature.
- March 15Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will have to meet the parliamentary parties to appoint the winner as Prime Minister. According to the results, Luís Montenegro is likely to assume this role.
- March 20the results of the European and overseas constituencies will be announced, bringing the final details of this election to a close.
- From March 28The official election results map will be published in the Journal officiel de la République.
- Between late March and early AprilThe first plenary session of this legislature will take place, during which the deputies and the President of the Assembly of the Republic will take the oath of office.
- ThenThe government will not take office until April, once the Assembly of the Republic is up and running.
- April/Maydebate on the government program will begin, with the document to be submitted within 10 days of the Prime Minister's appointment.
If the State Budget for 2025 is not approved, or if there is a motion to reject, everything could go back to square one.
However, the President of the Republic cannot dissolve the government and call new parliamentary elections before September 10. If this happens - respecting the 55-day rule between announcement and realization - new elections could be held in November.
