The government's proposal to reform the Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Contas or TdC) passed in parliament with support from the PSD, CDS-PP, and the Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal or IL). The Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) abstained, allowing the bill to proceed to the committee stage despite internal disagreements over the proposed changes to prior control measures.
Parliament approves Court of Auditors reform with PS abstention
Friday, 22 May 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
The TdC (Tribunal de Contas) is the Court of Auditors, an independent body responsible for overseeing public spending and ensuring the legality of state financial management. It performs prior audits on high-value public contracts to prevent misuse of funds before they are finalized.
- Leader: Mariana Leitão (since July 2025)
- Ideology: Classical liberalism, economic libertarianism
Founded in 2017, the Liberal Initiative advocates for reduced state intervention, tax simplification, labor market liberalization, and secular liberalism under the motto "Less State, More Freedom". The party gained its first parliamentary seat in 2019 and now holds 9 seats. Mariana Leitão, 42, became the party's first female leader in July 2025 after Rui Rocha resigned following disappointing 2025 election results. Leitão previously served as parliamentary leader and has been announced as the party's candidate for the 2026 presidential election. The party explicitly rejects alliances with both far-left and far-right parties, positioning itself as the "only alternative" that won't negotiate with extremes.
5 sources
- Bill on the Court of Auditors approved in general with PS abstentioneco.sapo.pt ·
- Parliament approves Court of Auditors law and expands free transport for veteranspublico.pt ·
- PS launches series of conferences to propose a "deep reform" and consensus in the justice systemcmjornal.pt ·
- PS disagrees with Government's solutions for the Court of Auditors and seeks improvements during the committee stagecnnportugal.iol.pt ·
- Court of Auditors: PS allows proposal reducing prior control to passobservador.pt ·
