Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will participate in the 19th presentation session on the "Epidemiological situation of Covid-19 in Portugal", together with the Prime Minister and the President of the Assembly of the Republic and party leaders, also by videoconference. Then, in the afternoon, starting at 2:30 pm, the head of state will hear the nine parties with parliamentary seats, in this order: Liberal Initiative, Chega, PEV, PCP, BE, PAN, PSD, CDS-PP and PS.
The current period of the state of emergency - a legal framework that has already been decreed 14 times in the current context of the 19-covid pandemic - ends at 11:59 pm on Thursday, 15 April. A further renewal for another 15 days will take effect between April 16 and 30.
The Assembly of the Republic has scheduled for Wednesday afternoon the debate on the request for authorisation to renew the state of emergency. Last Thursday, the President of the Republic said that this week there would be "another moment of reflection on the renewal of the state of emergency", with a new session with experts and a new hearing for political parties to contribute to "a decision on this renewal ". "If you ask me what I would most like, I would like it to be the last renewal of the state of emergency, coinciding with the end of April. Truly, it is my will. And I think it is the will of all Portuguese people", he said to journalists.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed the expectation that the evolution of data from covid-19 in Portugal this April will allow "to enter another wave in May, a good wave". "We'll see. It depends on all of us," he added. Under the terms of the Constitution, the state of emergency, which allows the suspension of the exercise of certain rights, freedoms and guarantees, cannot last more than 15 days, without prejudice to possible renewals with the same time limit. To decree, the President of the Republic must listen to the Government and have authorisation from the Assembly of the Republic, which in the last six renewals was given with votes in favour of PS, PSD, CDS-PP and PAN and BE's abstention.