Mariana Mortágua will be able to return to parliament starting from the 23rd of the month after invoking the statute of deputies citing “substantial family, personal, professional, or academic reasons,” which states that such substitution “cannot occur for a period less than 30 days.”
On September 22, Mariana Mortágua requested a 30-day suspension of her mandate and was replaced by BE leader Andreia Galvão.
This request came at a time when Mariana Mortágua was part of an international flotilla aiming to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, an endeavor that did not materialize as she was detained by Israeli authorities along with three other Portuguese nationals.
At the time, the BE leader pointed out that she expected the humanitarian mission to conclude sooner, but “after consideration and given the unpredictability of conditions for navigation,” she requested her temporary replacement in parliament to ensure the party was represented in plenary debates.
Mariana Mortágua was also absent from the local election campaign during the first week, during which leaders such as Marisa Matias, Fabian Figueiredo, or Joana Mortágua stepped in.
She returned to the country on the 5th and joined the campaign two days later.
In the legislative elections of May 18, BE elected only Mariana Mortágua as their sole deputy.
