The event will be taking place as the party gears up for a leadership election in January to replace the incumbent, Pedro Passos Coelho. He announced last week that he would not stand again, following poor local election results on 1 October.

The forum has been scheduled for the run up to the first reading in parliament of the Socialist government’s draft state budget for 2018, which is to take place on 2 and 3 November.

However, according to the leader of the PSD parliamentary group, Hugo Soares, the plan is also to discuss the government’s strategy “and our alternatives in various sectors of public policy.”

Soares, speaking to journalists after a group meeting on Thursday, said that the PSD would only table amendments to the budget bill after receiving the full official draft on Friday.

The Socialist Party lacks a majority but has agreements with two other left parties that enable it to pass key legislation once its details have been discussed with them.