Assembly of the Republic postpones vote for the RTP Opinion Council due to doubts about the eligibility of Chega deputies

The Assembly of the Republic decided to postpone the vote for the ten representatives on the RTP Opinion Council, as it has not yet received an opinion from the Parliamentary Transparency Commission on the admissibility of the three Chega deputies who are on the list of candidates.

The decision was announced at the beginning of the plenary session, contrary to the understanding of the PSD and Chega parliamentary groups, who believed the matter had been resolved.

At that moment, voting by external bodies was already taking place, with 18 ballot boxes placed in the Senate Room, but an indication was given that votes for the RTP Opinion Council would not be accepted. This election was postponed without a new date being set, until it became clear whether Bernardo Pessanha, Jorge Valsassina Rodrigues and Patricia Carvalho, all members of Chega’s parliamentary group, are eligible.

At this moment, the president of Chega, André Ventura, the general secretary of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, the parliamentary leader of the PSD, Hugo Soares, and dozens of other deputies have already voted. But it is possible to vote until 5pm, with voting taking place simultaneously with the plenary session.

The biggest doubt in the election of the external bodies of the Assembly of the Republic is the existence of a qualified majority of two thirds to elect Tiago Antunes, nominated by the PS, as Ombudsman. When it comes to the five representatives of Parliament in the Council of State, the consultative body of the Presidency of the Republic, it is most likely that the joint AD-Chega list will elect four (Leonor Beleza, André Ventura, Carlos Moedas and Pedro Duarte) and the PS list will elect only one (Carlos César).

The election of four judges of the Constitutional Court was also postponed, as in addition to the three who finished their term, the current president, José João Abrantes, is also expected to leave. This will allow the PSD to nominate two names, while Chega and PS will be entitled to one nomination, which will also require the approval of two thirds of the deputies. Something that will be made easier by having a single list.