The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, convened the State Council for January 9 to analyze the international situation and, in particular, in Ukraine, reads a note published on the Presidency website this Tuesday, December 23rd.
This will be the first meeting of the Council of State, the head of state’s political advisory body, since the early legislative elections on May 18th and will take place during the official campaign period for the presidential elections on January 18th.
“The President of the Republic convened the Council of State for next January 9th, at 3 pm, at the Belém Palace, to analyze the international situation, in particular the situation in Ukraine”, says the note on the Presidency of the Republic portal.
This meeting takes place exactly two months before the end of Marcelo’s second term as President of the Republic, which will end on March 9, 2026.
The previous meeting of the State Council was held more than eight months ago, on March 12, for the purposes of dissolving the Assembly of the Republic, following the disapproval of a motion of confidence presented by the first PSD/CDS-PP Government headed by Luís Montenegro.
In the current legislature, the Assembly of the Republic, after more than six months, has not yet elected the five members it is responsible for appointing to the Council of State.
Under the terms of the Constitution, the councilors elected by parliament, in each legislature, remain in office until those who replace them take office. Thus, Carlos Moedas (PSD), Pedro Nuno Santos and Carlos César (PS) and André Ventura continue to represent parliament – all elected in 2024.
The founder of the PSD and former prime minister, Francisco Pinto Balsemão, who died on October 21, was also part of this body.
Among the members of the State Council appointed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is Luís Marques Mendes, who is a candidate in the presidential elections on January 18.