Parliament to vote on government’s future today // Map reveals where new holiday rentals to be banned

Portuguese news in English on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

Parliament to vote on government’s future today

The parliament will vote today on a confidence motion set to send the country back to the ballot box, Público reports. Both sides of politics have repeatedly issued – and ignored – calls from their opponents to back down. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro’s Democratic Socialists (PSD) and Pedro Nuno Santos’ opposition Socialists (PS) both spent the weekend insisting their party “doesn’t want elections” – with one eye on the national vote expected in May. There were mutual accusations of leaving the country “stuck in the mud” as the opposition called for Montenegro to ditch his confidence vote and the government appealed to the Socialists to drop the parliamentary commission of inquiry they are demanding investigate the PM’s family business, Spinumviva. But the script appears set: PSD will call for a vote and PS, Chega, Left Bloc (BE) and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) — who all blame the government for triggering elections by bringing the motion — will vote against it, ensuring failure.

I’ll have a brief update for you tomorrow if President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa immediately calls elections, or if something particularly unexpected happens.

Opposition parties have promised the controversy will be the campaign topic ahead of the elections they all believe are coming, Expresso reports. PSD has pledged to stick with Montenegro as leader, although some spoke to Público about “fragility” in his leadership, while admitting there was no better candidate. In an embarrassing slip up, Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro, appears to have revealed the government’s draft plan to manage the crisis while holding up a sheet of paper to speak with Montenegro in relative private, Público reports.

publico.pt

A post shared by @publico.pt

Luís Montenegro’s wife, Carla, last week gave away her share in the family company at the centre of the political crisis to their sons, Expresso reports. Luís Montenegro stopped managing the company, which was founded when he was outside of politics, before taking over as PSD leader in 2022 but didn’t pass on the majority of his ownership to his wife until after taking the leadership. Because of their marriage, it’s believed the law doesn’t recognise the transfer of ownership as they technically share their belongings. The prime minister signed the transfer of ownership last week but used the contract to stress he believed the company had not been his since 2022. Solverde, the gaming company whose monthly fee to Spinumviva intensified pressure on Montenegro, cut ties with the company last week, Expresso reports. Responding to a list of 24 questions sent by BE and Chega, Montenegro declined to reveal Spinumviva’s one-off clients, Expresso reports. He said the regular clients already publicly known — Solverde, CLIP, Rádio Popular, Lopes Barata e Ferpinta and a service station operator — made up 86% of the company’s turnover while he managed it and 94% after he left. The prime minister has denied any conflict of interest.

If you want to know more, Reuters has a lengthy explainer in English.