Inauguration of Portugal’s new government postponed

LISBON – The Portuguese Constitutional Court announced on Tuesday the annulment of the votes of emigrants in the Jan. 30 snap elections and ordered a revote, postponing the inauguration of the country’s new government.

The action responded to a criminal complaint filed by six parties, which claimed that 80 percent of votes cast outside Portugal are not legal because they were not accompanied by the “voter identification document.”

Due to the need for a revote by Portuguese emigrants, the inauguration of the new government, initially scheduled for Feb. 23, is expected to be postponed by at least two weeks. In view of the decision now taken by the Constitutional Court, there may be changes in the number of seats won by the two main Portuguese political forces in parliament, namely the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party.

Portugal’s national electoral commission had announced that the Socialist Party led by Prime Minister Antonio Costa won a clear majority in the snap parliamentary elections held on Jan. 30. On Feb. 2, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced that Antonio Costa has been nominated to continue as head of the country’s new government. For the legislative elections, 1,521,947 voters overseas were registered.