The motion of censure against the XXV Constitutional Government was brought to debate and vote in the plenary of the Assembly of the Republic, in Lisbon, on September 8, 2026. The initiative was presented by the Chega party following the political fallout involving the Minister of Internal Administration, Luís Neves. The proponents intend to force the resignation of the executive led by Luís Montenegro and pave the way for the calling of early legislative elections, directly questioning the integrity of internal security policies and the minister's continued tenure.
The outcome of the motion appears conditioned by the positioning of the remaining political forces. The PSD and CDS-Partido Popular benches, which sustain the executive, categorically rejected the text, considering it a "sterile exercise" and one of "political noise." The Socialist Party also ruled out approval, although it maintains "strong reservations and demands for clarification" regarding government action in the portfolio. the Iniciativa Liberal, Left Bloc, Portuguese Communist Party, Livre, and PAN likewise distanced themselves from the maneuver, pointing to disagreements regarding the motivation and the model advocated by the proponents.
Under the Portuguese constitutional framework, the motion of censure requires an absolute majority of 116 votes out of 230 deputies to pass. If approved, the Prime Minister is dismissed by the President of the Republic and a parliamentary dissolution scenario opens. If rejected, the signatories are barred from presenting another during the same legislative session. Conversely, the motion of confidence is an exclusive prerogative of the Government, requiring only a simple majority of votes cast to be adopted.
At the center of the debate is the figure of Luís Neves, the former national director of the Judicial Police who took office in February at the Ministry of Internal Administration. Sectoral reorganization decisions, command articulations, and recent operational controversies have placed the minister under intense scrutiny from the opposition. Luís Neves defends the legality of the procedures and the continuity of his public mission, while the proponents consider his tenure unsustainable. Faced with the challenge, Luís Montenegro maintained public confidence in the portfolio holder, classifying the action as an artificial attempt to capitalize on media attention.
