The Popular Monarchical Party has appealed to the plenary session of the Constitutional Court, challenging a recent decision that permits the use of the name “AD – Coligação PSD/CDS.” The party argues that the decision is null due to a lack of justification and illegal due to a violation of electoral law concerning coalition names.
The monarchists assert that the latest decision does not clarify why the new designation is distinct from the one used in last year’s elections (“Aliança Democrática,” which included the PPM). They claim that the judges failed to fulfill their obligation to substantiate their decision.
“It is deemed necessary to justify the decision on all relevant and controversial matters, making it mandatory to support the non-confusability of the name in question,” the document states.
The coalition led by Luís Montenegro will now officially be known as ‘AD – Coligação PSD/CDS’.
17:16 – 03/04/2025
The PPM also highlights, citing the Constitutional Court’s first ruling on the matter, that the designation “AD” is one of the “most expressive and well-known elements” of the coalition that contested and won the last legislative elections.
“Disguising the controversial nature of the issue by dedicating only a line and a half, without any form of justification, also disregards the assessment made by the Constitutional Court’s 2nd Section three days earlier, further weakening the unity of jurisdiction,” the party adds.
The monarchists contend that the violation of electoral law stems from the “risk of confusability with already constituted electoral coalition names” continuing with the use of “AD – Coligação PSD/CDS”.
The PPM further argues, recalling the first ruling by the Constitutional Court (which banned the use of “AD — Aliança Democrática — PSD/CDS”), that this new designation will cause “serious harm” to the party as it will mislead voters, considering that the monarchists had “their acronym and symbols associated with the AD” up until the last week.
“In two weeks of campaigning, it will not be possible to dissociate PPM from AD,” the party writes in this appeal submitted by Deolinda Estêvão, the PPM’s representative for the overseas electoral district in the upcoming legislative elections.
Following the submission of this appeal, the Constitutional Court is required to make a decision within forty-eight hours. The plenary of the TC consists of 13 judges.
The Constitutional Court had previously rejected the first proposal, “AD – Aliança Democrática – PSD/CDS,” for the May 18th early elections, arguing that it could mislead voters, as this time it would not include the PPM, unlike the elections a year earlier.
The most recent ruling concludes that “there is no reason to prevent the coalition between the Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD) and the CDS — People’s Party (CDS-PP)” from running in the districts of the Continent, Madeira, Europe, and Beyond Europe with the initials “PPD/PSD.CDS-PP” and the designation “AD — Coligação PSD/CDS”.
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