Lisbon, June 2, 2025 (Lusa) - Portuguese Social Democrat MP José Pedro Aguiar-Branco will chair the first plenary session of the new legislature on Tuesday, a decision taken on Monday at a conference of leaders and in accordance with parliamentary practice of inviting the outgoing speaker of parliament.
The first plenary meeting of the 17th Legislature will be divided into two parts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, beginning at 10 a.m. with the reading and voting on the draft resolution for the establishment of the Temporary Committee for the Verification of the Credentials of Elected MPs.
This committee will be made up of seven MPs from the Social Democratic Party (PSD), five MPs from the Socialist Party (PS) and five MPs from right-wing Chega. The Liberal Initiative, Livre, Communist Party (PCP) and Christian Democrats (CDS) will each appoint one MP to this committee.
Work will resume at 3 p.m. with the reading of the report and vote on the opinion of the Committee for the Verification of the Credentials of Elected Members and the election of the board of parliament, consisting of the speaker, vice-speakers, secretaries and deputy secretary.
According to the spokesperson for the leaders’ conference, Social Democrat Jorge Paulo Oliveira, “the decision was maintained that the provisional presiding officers should respect the rules and parliamentary practice” before the formal election of the new speaker of parliament.
“The parliamentary group with the largest representation [the PSD] will indicate who will chair the first plenary session, and parliamentary practice dictates that, if the outgoing speaker of parliament is present, he should chair the session,” said Jorge Paulo Oliveira.
Thus, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco will chair the first session of the new legislature, with the outgoing speaker inviting MPs Germana Rocha (PSD) and Gabriel Mithá Ribeiro (Chega), who represent the two parties with the largest representation in the last legislative elections, to be secretaries of the board.
At today’s meeting of the conference of leaders, it was decided to extend by one hour, from 6 p.m.–7 p.m. today, the deadline for the submission of candidacies for the speaker of parliament, the remaining members of the presiding board and the board of directors The current speaker of parliament, José Pedro Aguiar Branco (PSD), has already expressed his willingness to stand for re-election and the PS has indicated that it will not stand in his way.
Last year, Aguiar-Branco was only elected on his fourth attempt and after an agreement between the PSD and PS to divide the speaker's role in half during the legislative term - but this was interrupted earlier due to the collapse of the PSD/CDS-PP government after parliament rejected a motion of confidence.
At the leaders’ conference, a draft resolution was also approved to extend the normal working period of the parliament. Thus, until the summer recess, work will continue until July 25.
With this timetable, the last plenary session will take place on July 18. Between July 18–25, only parliamentary committee meetings will be held for the final drafting of legislation and for urgent matters that may arise in the meantime.
PMF/AYLS // AYLS
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