The first biweekly debate of the XVII legislature will take place on Wednesday, commencing with a ten-minute address by Luís Montenegro, who has praised the economic and financial status of Portugal, with two international agencies recently upgrading the country’s rating.
Recently, in a message on the social network X marking the 100 days of the executive, the Prime Minister claimed that decisions already taken have projected the country “for decades.”
“And, believe me, our international rating is extremely high, as I have just confirmed in the East. We all have the responsibility to focus on what is important,” he wrote shortly after returning from official visits to China and Japan.
The biweekly debate occurs shortly after multiple alerts from the Public Finance Council, including a downward revision of economic growth for this year and the next, along with calls for prudence in the State Budget for 2026, which the Government will present in parliament on October 10th, coinciding with the last day of the municipal election campaign.
Following the legislative elections in May, Chega became the second-largest parliamentary party (albeit with fewer votes than the PS), thus being the first to question Luís Montenegro, followed by PS, IL, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, JPP, CDS-PP, and PSD.
The last biweekly debate took place on February 5th, during the previous legislature and before the early elections on May 18th, which once again granted victory to the AD (PSD/CDS-PP coalition) and government leadership to Luís Montenegro.
Since then, Montenegro has addressed the deputies in various formats in the Assembly of the Republic: in March, in two motions of censure from Chega and PCP concerning doubts about his family’s company Spinumviva; in the motion of confidence that led to the Government’s resignation on March 11th, prompting early elections; and, before the parliament’s dissolution, in a preparatory debate for the European Council.
In the current legislature, the Prime Minister has participated in the XXV Constitutional Government’s program discussion, the state of the nation debate, and a debate in the Standing Committee on the summer’s wildfires at the end of August. The Assembly of the Republic’s regulations state that “the Prime Minister appears biweekly before the plenary for a session of questions from deputies,” with exceptions: this discussion does not occur in months when the Government’s program presentation or the state of the nation debate takes place, during the State Budget proposal discussion, or in the “fortnight following the discussion of motions of confidence or censure.”
In the debate, Montenegro is expected to be questioned by the opposition on the continued challenges in the National Health Service (SNS), particularly in emergencies, as well as the start of the school year with a teacher shortage in 78% of schools, and preschool vacancies.
From the left, the government’s draft project for labor law revision, presented at the end of July, is likely to be scrutinized, with changes involving parenting, flexible work, company training, trial periods for work contracts, and extending sectors required to provide minimum services in the event of a strike.
