Portugal. - Portugal's Economy Minister calls for elections "as soon as possible".

Portugal’s Minister of State, Economy and Digital Transition, Pedro Cesa Vieira (1) and head of government, Pedro Sánchez (right), take a selfie at the 31st Spanish-Portuguese Summit, on October 28, 2021, in Trujillo, Caceres, Extremadura (E. – Jorge Armistar – Europa Press

MADRID, October 29 (European press) –

Portugal’s Economy Minister, Pedro Sisa Vieira, has expressed confidence that parliamentary elections will be held “as soon as possible” to avoid potential burdens on the economic recovery, although legal dates indicate that these early elections will not take place at least until January. 2022.

On the same day that Portuguese authorities confirmed quarterly GDP growth of 2.9 per cent and 4.2 per cent year-on-year, Siza Vieira expressed concern about the collateral damage of uncertainty after the Assembly of the Republic rejected budgets.

The minister defended that Portugal was going through a “good moment” in economic terms, but saw the lack of budgets as an additional “risk”. Antonio Costa’s government has full wiggle room until the end of the year, but without new accounts, as of January 1, it will have to work with the 12th of the money it had in 2021.

The competence to dissolve the Council of the Republic and call for elections belongs to the conservative head of state Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who was already in favor of holding the ballot again. However, confirmation will not arrive at least until the State Council meets on November 3 and it will take two months until the elections.