Parliament Elects Four New Judges to Constitutional Court

Portugal's Parliament has elected four new judges to the Constitutional Court, a move that had been repeatedly postponed. The election saw a joint list of candidates presented by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Chega, and the Socialist Party (PS) secure the required two-thirds majority with 176 favorable votes.

The newly appointed judges will replace four members whose terms had ended or who had resigned. Among those stepping down were José António Teles Pereira and Gonçalo Almeida Ribeiro, both nominated by the PSD, and Joana Fernandes Costa and José João Abrantes, nominated by the PS. The President of the Constitutional Court, José João Abrantes, also announced his resignation for personal and institutional reasons.

The nominated judges include Joaquim Cardoso da Costa and Maria Paula Ribeiro Faria, proposed by the PSD. Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues, a judge and chief of staff to the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, was nominated by the PS. Chega put forward Luís Filipe Brites Lameiras, a former judge from the Lisbon and Porto courts of appeal.

In addition to the judicial appointments, lawmakers also voted on representatives for the National Mechanism for Monitoring the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This independent body, which operates within the Assembly of the Republic, is tasked with promoting, protecting, and overseeing the convention's application in Portugal.