A spokesperson for the office of the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, confirmed that no candidates had been put forward by any political parties, and the matter is to be addressed in the upcoming conference of parliamentary leaders.
The Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the Republic stipulate that for the election of officials to positions outside the parliament, “unless otherwise provided by law, the submission is made to the President of the Assembly of the Republic at least seven days before the election date, accompanied by the candidate’s curriculum vitae and a declaration of acceptance of the candidacy,” and there should be a hearing of the candidates.
The election was scheduled for Wednesday, the 16th, but no names were submitted to José Pedro Aguiar-Branco.
The successor to Maria Lúcia Amaral as Ombudsman is expected to be proposed by the PS and must secure approval by two-thirds of the deputies’ votes, necessitating negotiations between the Socialists, the PSD, and Chega.
This, however, will only occur after the parliamentary recess, as the last plenary session is scheduled for Wednesday.
With the inauguration in June of the new PSD/CDS government led by Luís Montenegro, the former Ombudsman, constitutionalist Maria Lúcia Amaral, assumed the role of Minister of Internal Administration.
This change has made the appointment of Maria Lúcia Amaral’s successor as Ombudsman, an institution responsible for handling citizens’ complaints regarding fundamental rights violations, a political priority for the Assembly of the Republic.
