The President of the Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da República), José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, has extended the deadline for political parties to submit candidate lists for the Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) and other external bodies until next Tuesday. The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) parliamentary leader, Eurico Brilhante Dias, stated that negotiations are ongoing and expressed hope for a consensus. This extension follows months of impasse regarding the selection of judges and officials for key state institutions.
Parliamentary deadline for Constitutional Court appointments extended
Thursday, 2 April 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
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.
The Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) is Portugal's highest court for constitutional review, responsible for checking whether laws and statutes comply with the Constitution and for annulling or suspending unconstitutional measures. FNAM's push for a review matters because the court can strike down or block parts of the regional emergency services statute, directly affecting how emergency care is regulated.
Sources (3)
- PS remains hopeful for an agreement on names for the Constitutional CourtPúblico · 7:26pm, 2 Apr 2026
- Constitutional Court: Montenegro and Carneiro return to negotiating names for external bodiesExpresso · 8:02pm, 2 Apr 2026
- PS remains hopeful for an agreement on the Constitutional CourtObservador · 8:12pm, 2 Apr 2026
