The secretary-general of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, stated this Tuesday that it is unacceptable for his party not to nominate one of the three Constitutional Court judges to be elected by parliament. 'It would be incomprehensible for the PS to be sidelined because a right-wing majority, in coalition with the far-right, excluded the PS from the Constitutional Court. It would be unacceptable...'
Carneiro considers it unacceptable for the PS to be excluded from the election of judges to the Constitutional Court
Tuesday, 17 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) is Portugal's highest court for constitutional review. Its primary role is to assess whether laws, decrees, and government actions comply with the Portuguese Constitution, and it has the power to strike down or suspend unconstitutional measures.
The court consists of 13 judges — 10 appointed by the Assembly of the Republic and 3 co-opted by the other judges. It also oversees the legality of political parties and their finances, verifies election results, and rules on the constitutionality of referendums.
The Constitutional Court is frequently in the news when opposition parties, the President, or the Ombudsman refer controversial legislation for review — such as labor reforms, housing laws, or immigration policy changes. Its rulings are final and binding.
Socialist Party (PS)
- Leader: José Luís Carneiro (since June 2025)
- Ideology: Center-left, Social democracy, pro-Europeanism
Portugal's other traditional major party suffered a historic collapse in the 2025 election, dropping from 78 to 58 seats and falling to third place for the first time in democratic history. The party was led by Pedro Nuno Santos from January 2024 until his resignation following the May 2025 defeat. José Luís Carneiro, a 53-year-old former Minister of Internal Administration known for his moderate positioning within the party, was elected unopposed as the new Secretary-General with 95% of votes in June 2025. The Socialist Party governed Portugal from 2015 to 2024, including an absolute majority from 2022 to 2024 under António Costa, who resigned in November 2023 amid a corruption investigation. The PS previously led the innovative "Geringonça" (contraption) coalition government from 2015-2019, a minority government supported by the Left Bloc and Portuguese Communist Party that reversed austerity measures and presided over economic recovery.
AI Summary AvailablePolitical deadlock stalls election of Constitutional Court judgesRead the synthesized summary with context and explainers
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Other news coverage of this topic
- Will the PS be forced to give one of its seats to Chega on the Constitutional Court? • Público
- Carneiro: excluding the PS from the Constitutional Court is "unacceptable" • Observador
- Bruno Mascarenhas wants to lead the Chega Lisbon district branch • Dinheiro Vivo
- Carneiro considers it "incomprehensible" that the PS is left out of the election of judges for the Constitutional Court • CNN Portugal
- Election of external bodies. Aguiar-Branco calls for political maturity • RTP Notícias
- Chega party member accused of renting houses to immigrants denies allegations and says her "idol" Ventura believes her • Correio da Manhã
- Carneiro considers it unacceptable for the PS to be left out of the election of judges for the Constitutional Court • Correio da Manhã
- Carneiro considers it “unacceptable” for the PS to be excluded from the election of judges to the Constitutional Court • Expresso
- The country will not forgive the political leaders if they do not reach an agreement on the election of the Parliament's external bodies • CNN Portugal
- Let us have the courage to say: we will not establish red lines on something that is merely someone's right to representation • CNN Portugal
- Chega in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly distances itself from councillor Bruno Mascarenhas • Público
- "We do not identify in the slightest with what is happening in the council": Chega distances itself from Bruno Mascarenhas in Lisbon • CNN Portugal
