Vertrek Barroso leidt tot felle debatten in Portugal (en)

Opposition and government parties have clashed over how the Brussels-bound Portuguese Prime Minister should be replaced.

President Jorge Sampaio now has to decide between conflicting calls for fresh elections or the appointment of a successor to José Manuel Durao Barroso from within his own Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The Portuguese prime minister was formally selected by EU leaders to head the European Commission following a short half-hour meeting in Brussels on Tuesday evening (29 June).

According to sources quoted by Publico, Mr Durao Barroso could step down as soon as this weekend, presenting the Portuguese state with an unexpected and immediate crisis.

The opposition centre-left party has hinted that it wants fresh elections, buoyed by their victory over the PSD at the European elections.

Socialist leader António José Seguro has called for an emergency discussion in the national assembly to discuss what the next steps are.

In the event that the successor is chosen from the ranks of the PSD, Pedro Santana Lopes the current mayor of Lisbon is likely to get the job, although he is not liked by some within the party.

Outside the PSD, the former MEP has been attacked for lack of government experience.

In a poll conduced by Aximage for Correio da Manha published today (30 June), over half (57 percent) of Portuguese said they wanted a fresh election.

Leaders of the parliamentary parties will meet later today to discuss the matter.