Elections for the Council of State, Ombudsman, and Constitutional Court may be postponed to 6 March

Sunday, 22 February 2026RSS
Elections for the Council of State, Ombudsman, and Constitutional Court may be postponed to 6 March

The Assembly of the Republic may once again postpone the elections for the Ombudsman, five members of the Council of State, and three judges of the Constitutional Court, originally scheduled for this Friday, to 6 March. Parliamentary sources informed the Lusa agency that this new request for postponement came this time from Chega and will...

Context & Explainers

Chega

Chega ("Enough") is a Portuguese far-right populist party founded in 2019 by André Ventura. It positions itself as an anti-establishment movement against what it calls a "rotten and corrupt system" of PS-PSD dominance. The party surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest force with 60 seats. ​ Chega's core platform emphasizes strict immigration control—ending automatic CPLP residency, deporting non-independent immigrants, implementing job-market quotas, and requiring five-year social security contributions before benefit access. It advocates radical constitutional reform, including reducing parliament to 100 members, abolishing the prime minister position for a presidential system, and dismantling public healthcare. Law-and-order policies include life imprisonment and chemical castration proposals.

The party is defined by inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric, with Ventura convicted multiple times for discrimination. Chega maintains international alignments with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, and Matteo Salvini. Mainstream Portuguese parties, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government, have imposed a cordon sanitaire, refusing coalition with Chega despite its parliamentary strength.

The Council of State (Conselho de Estado) is a constitutionally established advisory body that the President consults on major acts, such as dissolving parliament or declaring exceptional states. Five of its members are elected by the Assembly of the Republic, so a delay in those Assembly votes postpones the council’s full composition and can affect which voices formally advise the President.

Pedro Passos Coelho is a Portuguese politician who served as Prime Minister from 2011 to 2015 and led the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD). His choice to stay silent during the presidential run-off matters because, as a former PM and centre‑right leader, his endorsements or comments could influence PSD voters ahead of the 8 February vote.

Francisco Sá Carneiro was a Portuguese politician who co‑founded the Social Democratic Party (Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) in 1974 and served as prime minister in 1980. He died in a plane crash on 4 December 1980; his name is widely recognised in Portugal and is used for Porto’s main airport, which expats commonly encounter when travelling.

The Assembleia da República (Assembly of the Republic) is Portugal's unicameral parliament, made up of 230 deputies elected every four years, responsible for making laws and overseeing the government. Quercus sent its letter to the government and the Assembly to push lawmakers to consider banning non‑biodegradable wet wipes and to create a biodegradable labelling rule.

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