President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal has formally signed the decree for the resignation of the government, set to take effect from Friday.

In an announcement posted on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic, it stated, “Following the Prime Minister’s resignation and as a consequence, the President of the Republic today decreed, in accordance with the Constitution, the resignation of the Government, effective from December 8.”

The statement further indicates that “following the resignation, the Government will confine itself to carrying out only essential tasks necessary for the management of public affairs,” as outlined by the Constitution in Article 186, paragraph 5.

This formal step comes a month after Prime Minister António Costa tendered his resignation on November 7, which was promptly accepted by the President, leading to the dissolution of parliament and the scheduling of early legislative elections for March 10.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had previously announced the decision to delay the dismissal until tonight. He signaled his intent to allow the resigning Government space to approve “critical votes for the Recovery and Resilience Plan” in the Council of Ministers on Thursday.

The resigned government, led by António Costa, will now function in a caretaker capacity for a minimum of four months until a new Executive program resulting from the early elections is approved.
-Nawaraj Guragain
Lisbon portugal