PORTUGAL – Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on Thursday, announced the dissolution of the country’s parliament and called for an early election.
This move follows the resignation of Prime Minister António Costa two days earlier, prompted by a corruption scandal tarnishing his government.
The new election, Rebelo de Sousa said, would be on March 10.
“I have chosen to dissolve the Assembly of the Republic and hold elections on March 10,” the president said.
Rebelo de Sousa made this announcement during a national televised address after he met with the nation’s Council of State, an advisory body made up of former politicians and other veteran public figures of renown. That came after he had met with the leaders of the parties in parliament on Wednesday.
Truthlive news reports that Costa, a Socialist, Portugal premier since 2015, stepped down immediately after Portugal was rocked by a major police raid on Tuesday as part of a corruption investigation that included the arrest of his chief of staff along with four other people and one of his minister’s being named as a suspect.
The investigative judge who ordered the raids and arrests alleged malfeasance, corruption of elected officials and influence peddling related to lithium mine concessions near Portugal’s northern border with Spain and plans for a green hydrogen plant and data center in Sines on the south coast.
