Lisbon, July 3, 2025 (Lusa) - The election campaign for the local elections, now scheduled for 12 October, will run from 30 September to 10 October, which is also the deadline for the government to submit its draft state budget for 2026 to parliament.
The government announced on Thursday that local elections will be held on 12 October.
According to local election law, these elections must take place between 22 September and 14 October and on a Sunday.
With the local elections set for 12 October, the official election campaign will run from 30 September to 10 October, as the law stipulates that it begins on the twelfth day before the election and ends at 12 a.m. on the day before the election.
The last day of the election campaign will therefore coincide with the deadline for the government to submit its draft state budget for 2025 to parliament.
At the press conference following the cabinet meeting, journalists asked the Minister of Cabinet Affairs whether this coincidence could lead to the local elections becoming a government election, and he expressed disagreement with this view.
“We chose this date because it aligned with the majority opinion of the parties we consulted. The previous weekend coincided with 5 October, and I can assure you that, had we selected 5 October, critics would have accused us of appropriating the national holiday, the date of the Republic,” said António Leitão Amaro.
On the other hand, the minister considered that the bulk of the budget debate will take place after the document has been submitted, i.e. after the campaign and the elections.
“I believe that the Portuguese are more than mature and can distinguish between plans, and the main argument is entirely about the majority opinion of the parties consulted,” he reiterated.
According to the Budgetary Framework Law, “the Government shall prepare and submit to parliament by 10 October each year, the draft state budget for the following financial year”.
The deadline for submitting candidate lists is 18 August.
The municipal electoral law stipulates that candidates must submit their lists to the judge of the district court with jurisdiction in civil matters in the municipality where the election is held by the 55th day before the election date.
SMA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
