A parliamentary decision, backed by votes from the PSD, Chega, and CDS-PP, and abstentions from IL and PAN, was approved to arrange seating in the hemicycle’s first row as follows: five Chega deputies, one from CDS, two from Iniciativa Liberal, eight from PSD, five from PS, two from Livre, and one from PCP.
Single-member representatives are seated in the second row: Inês Sousa Real (PAN), Filipe Sousa (Juntos Pelo Povo), and Mariana Mortágua (BE) at the far left.
This arrangement, in use since the current legislative term began, has faced opposition, notably from Livre, citing communication challenges and an unsuitable environment in leader meetings.
Livre proposed an alternative plan, which was rejected, suggesting the PSD give up one of its eight first-row seats to reposition two of its deputies closer to those in the second and third rows.
Isabel Mendes Lopes accused PSD of “high-handedness” and declared her party would forgo its two first-row seats “until the Livre group can function effectively.”
The deputy criticized the parliamentary president for allegedly adopting the PSD’s proposal as his own, leading to an “unnecessary vote,” a claim disputed by José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, stating adherence to parliamentary voting rules in absence of a consensus.
Hugo Soares, leader of the PSD parliamentary group, argued his working conditions are not ideal either, with deputies separated by an aisle, asserting that his party did not yield to Livre’s demands.
Chega’s parliamentary president Pedro Pinto remarked that it reflects poorly on democracy to have 230 members debating seating arrangements, while Paulo Núncio from CDS-PP called the matter “ridiculous” and challenged Livre to permanently relinquish their first-row seats.
Pedro Delgado Alves from PS expressed regret at the failure to achieve consensus for the first time in 50 years of democracy, blaming PSD’s “intransigence flirting with arrogance.”
The socialist pointed out that PSD, with 89 elected deputies, would occupy eight front-row seats, deviating from past practice even during majority situations where only seven deputies from the largest party sat in the front.
The parliamentary leader of PCP also accused the social democrats of “total intransigence, with Chega as their ally.”
