Legal: Ombudsman news in Portugal

Candidate for Ombudsman defends his political independence in parliament

Ombudsman urgently requests information from the PSP regarding police charges in Lisbon and Porto

The Ombudsman has urgently requested information from the PSP regarding the police charges that took place on Sunday morning against demonstrators camped out in Praça D. Pedro IV in Lisbon and Praça D. João I in Porto.

15:00 Ombudsman requests urgent information from PSP regarding police charge against housing rights protesters in Porto

The Ombudsman has demanded an urgent report from the Public Security Police concerning the police intervention against demonstrators who were protesting for the right to housing in Porto.

João Lázaro leaves the presidency of APAV and is appointed Deputy Ombudsman

The current president of the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV), João Lázaro, has been appointed Deputy Ombudsman, according to an order published today in the Diário da República, and will take up his duties with the Ombudsman starting on September 7th.

João Lázaro leaves the presidency of APAV and is appointed Deputy Ombudsman for Justice

João Lázaro served at APAV for approximately 35 years

Exams: Grading errors prompt teachers' complaint to the Ombudsman

The Metaprof movement states that the issue involves not only technical failures but also the lack of mechanisms to ensure equal treatment and accountability in the process.

Storm Kristin generated fifty complaints to the Ombudsman regarding support delays

In May, the Ombudsman announced it was evaluating support measures for the population and the procedures that led to the evacuation of people from their homes following the severe weather.

Ombudsman opens 15 complaint cases due to storm Kristin

The Ombudsman's office received around fifty reports related to the consequences of storm Kristin, which severely hit the Leiria region nearly six months ago, triggering 15 complaint cases, the entity revealed. Following storm Kristin, the Ombudsman's office received about fifty related reports.

Kristin. Ombudsman initiates 15 complaint proceedings

The Ombudsman received around 50 submissions, which resulted in 15 complaints. The reasons relate to “delays, difficulties in access, and issues related to public support.”

The Ombudsman has launched 15 complaint proceedings related to the consequences of the bad weather

Among the reasons for the complaints are the “slowness, difficulties in access and issues related to public support and exceptional fiscal measures”.

New Ombudsman wants to be an "assertive voice" in the defence of fundamental rights

Luísa Neto declared herself a jurist “of what ought to be and of the norm, but of the norm that is intended to be applied, of the Constitution that is not merely semantic.”

Ombudswoman

Luísa Neto has the Herculean task of helping to rectify injustices that affect citizens.

Almada: Ombudsman analyses water supply crisis

The water supply shortage in Almada is being analysed by the Ombudsman, who stated that the situation is under review following the receipt of complaints.

13:00 Luísa Neto elected as the new Ombudsman

Luísa Neto has been appointed as the new Ombudsman.

PS again proposes Luísa Neto as candidate for Ombudsman. PSD endorses

The Socialist Party (PS) will again propose Luísa Neto as a candidate for Ombudsman, with the support of the PSD, after she failed a first election. The information was provided to Lusa by an official source from the PS Parliamentary Group. The two parties want the vote to take place on 3 July. According to the Socialists, the name of Luísa Neto, current president of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Administration (INA), has once again secured the agreement of the PSD, as promised by the Social Democratic parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, following the failed vote in Parliament last Friday, 12 June. Meanwhile, the PSD parliamentary leader confirmed that he made a point of endorsing Luísa Neto's candidacy, ensuring his bench's commitment to electing her in a second attempt.

PS proposes Luísa Neto again as candidate for Ombudsman

PSD and the Socialists want the vote to take place on 3 July.

The Assembly (of the condominium) of the Republic

Luísa Neto needed 138 votes from the 207 deputies present to be elected Ombudsman. She received 131, 15 fewer than the PS/PSD coalition that had agreed to her election. What is the reason for such negligence, which leaves the country, once again, without a constitutionally mandated body? Tantrums? Revenge? Spite? Childishness and irresponsibility, in any case...

Ombudsman: PS awaits Luísa Neto's decision after warning Socialist MPs who missed the vote

Luísa Neto is expected to respond in the coming hours—between this Monday, June 15, and tomorrow (16)—on whether she accepts to run again for the position of Ombudsman, after failing to be elected in Parliament last Friday. Over the weekend, several party figures contacted the jurist to convince her to remain available for the role, including PS parliamentary leader Eurico Brilhante Dias and party secretary-general José Luís Carneiro. Nominated by the PS with PSD support, Neto received 131 votes in favour, 58 blank, and 18 null, out of 207 voters. She needed 138 votes to be elected, falling seven short of the required qualified majority. Friday's vote was followed by a warning to the five Socialist MPs who were absent. One was hospitalised; to the others, Eurico Brilhante Dias was clear that such absences 'cannot happen again'. The episode contributed to what a Socialist source described as a 'black day' for the PS, which also saw the government's proposal on the extended forfeiture of assets approved with the support of the right-wing parties and despite Socialist opposition. This was the PS's second attempt to elect an Ombudsman, following the failed bid of Tiago Antunes, a former Secretary of State under António Costa.

Luísa Neto fails election for Ombudsman

Nominated by the PS with the support of the PSD, Luísa Neto failed to be elected as Ombudsman this Friday, June 12. The current president of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Administration received 131 favourable votes, insufficient to reach the required two-thirds majority. Luísa Neto was the second name put forward by the PS, after the initial candidate, Tiago Antunes, a former Assistant Secretary of State to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for European Affairs in the governments of António Costa, fell well short of the two-thirds of parliamentary votes required for his election. This is another episode in the long process of electing external bodies of the Assembly of the Republic, marked by a succession of setbacks and postponements, which has left the Ombudsman's office without a head for over a year, since Maria Lúcia Amaral was invited by Luís Montenegro to be Minister of Internal Administration. A jurist and academic, Maria Luísa Alves da Silva Neto Teixeira Botelho was born in Lisbon in 1971. She holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, in the area of Legal-Political Sciences, and a PhD in Law from the University of Porto. She is a full professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto. A lecturer at FDUP since 1995, she has taught in the areas of Public Law, Political Science, Constitutional Law, Fundamental Rights, and Administrative Law. In addition to her academic career, she is a member of international structures linked to Public Administration and Public Law. She is the author of several publications in the areas of Constitutional Law, Fundamental Rights, and Bioethics. The PS proposes Luísa Neto for Ombudsman.

Aware of the power to take laws to the Constitutional Court, candidate for Ombudsman describes herself as "measured"

Luísa Neto, nominated by the PS, was widely praised by all parties in comparison to Tiago Antunes. The candidate presented a list of challenges to the deputies that the Ombudsman's Office must address.

Luísa Neto proposed by the PS with PSD agreement as candidate for Ombudsman

The PSD has accepted the PS's nomination of Luísa Neto, current president of the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Administration (INA), as a candidate for Ombudsman, an election that requires a two-thirds majority in parliament.

PSD Matosinhos wants the Elderly Ombudsman to resign or waive his salary

The Elderly Ombudsman, Rodolfo Mesquita, stated that everything was done in compliance with the law.

Luísa Neto to be nominated as Ombudsman by PS and PSD

The University of Porto law professor, who was once an advisor to José Pedro Aguiar Branco during the short-lived Santana Lopes government, will be the nominee to fill the position that has been vacant for about a year.

PS says it has not invited anyone, but the Ombudsman's office is expected to have a female head

After Tiago Antunes failed to be elected as Ombudsman, the Socialist Party (PS) is keeping its decision on a new candidate on hold. While reports suggest the party is considering judge Ana Celeste Carvalho, an official source denies any formal invitation has been made. The search continues for a candidate capable of securing the necessary two-thirds majority in Parliament, with the possibility of aligning the vote with the appointment of new Constitutional Court judges.

PS will speak first with PSD regarding the name for Ombudsman and understands Tiago Antunes' decision

Lisbon, 24 May 2026 (Lusa) -- The PS stated today that it will speak first with the PSD regarding the new name for Ombudsman, understanding Tiago Antunes' decision to withdraw from the race after being the target of a 'campaign by the more radical right'.

PS understands Tiago Antunes' decision and says it will speak with PSD first regarding the Ombudsman nominee

The PS stated this Friday, April 23, that it will first consult with the PSD regarding a new candidate for Ombudsman, acknowledging Tiago Antunes' decision to withdraw from the race after being targeted by a 'campaign from the radical right'. Speaking to the Lusa agency, PS parliamentary leader Eurico Brilhante Dias expressed respect for Antunes' decision not to stand for election again after his previous rejection, noting that his candidacy had originally been agreed upon with the PSD. Dias lamented that Antunes was subjected to pressure that over half of the PSD bench could not withstand, failing to follow their leadership's voting instructions. The PS leader confirmed no new invitations have been issued yet and hopes to conclude the election during May, noting that the party has other suitable candidates in mind. Antunes, a former Socialist Secretary of State, described his rejection as a form of 'cancellation' and stated he was condemned in a media pillory without cause.

“Victim of cancel culture”, Tiago Antunes withdraws from the race for Ombudsman

Tiago Antunes, who had been nominated by the PS for the position of Ombudsman, has decided to withdraw from the race and will not submit himself to a second parliamentary vote. Last week, the candidate agreed upon nine months ago by José Luís Carneiro and Luís Montenegro to replace Maria Lúcia Amaral failed to be elected in the Assembly of the Republic.