Daily Briefing -- Thursday, 26 March 2026
In today's briefing: • Isaltino Morais Charged Over 150,000 Euros in Fake Meal Reimbursements • PS Congress Opens in Viseu on Friday • Immigration Return Law Heads to Parliament • Students Marched for Free Education on National Student's Day • Housing Price Index Surged 17.6 Percent in 2025 • Met...
Isaltino Morais Charged Over 150,000 Euros in Fake Meal Reimbursements
The Public Prosecutor has charged the Oeiras mayor and 22 co-defendants with embezzlement over approximately 1,400 meals allegedly billed to the municipality as work lunches over nearly a decade. Restaurant managers reportedly went to the municipal offices to collect payments directly. The municipality denies the accusations.
PS Congress Opens in Viseu on Friday
The Socialist Party's 25th National Congress begins tomorrow in Viseu, with internal motions demanding a sharper break from the governing AD coalition. Jose Luis Carneiro was re-elected secretary-general unopposed, but younger members want the party to stop enabling Montenegro's government and assert itself as a clear alternative.
Immigration Return Law Heads to Parliament
The government's new Law on the Return of Foreigners, approved by the Council of Ministers on March 19, faces parliamentary debate. The bill would extend maximum detention for undocumented migrants from 60 days to 18 months and speed up deportation timelines. Passage likely depends on Chega's support.
Students Marched for Free Education on National Student's Day
Thousands of higher education students marched through Lisbon on Monday, from Rossio to the Assembleia da Republica, demanding the end of tuition fees, affordable housing, and stronger social support. Education Minister Fernando Alexandre responded by arguing that cutting tuition fees would be "regressive," though he stopped short of confirming a proposed increase would proceed.
Housing Price Index Surged 17.6 Percent in 2025
New data shows Portugal's house price index rose by 17.6 percent in 2025 -- 8.5 percentage points higher than the previous year's increase. The figures add fuel to the housing affordability debate that brought protesters to the streets across 16 cities on March 21, demanding rent controls and government intervention.
Meta and YouTube Found Liable in Landmark Social Media Addiction Verdict
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google's YouTube negligent in a landmark trial over social media addiction in children, awarding $6 million in damages. Meta is liable for 70 percent. The verdict, after nine days of deliberation, could open the floodgates for similar cases worldwide and has implications for Portugal's own efforts to regulate children's screen time.
PS Suspects Constitutional Revision Could Forge PSD-Chega Alliance
Former finance minister Fernando Medina warned this week that he believes the right is preparing a constitutional revision process that would require Chega's cooperation. "An agreement of this nature between PSD and Chega will have profound impacts," Medina said, adding a new dimension of tension ahead of the Viseu congress.
