Aguiar-Branco: "The Parliament never closes"

The President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar Branco, dismissed any conflict regarding Parliament's operations during a state of alert declared by the government. He emphasized that Parliament, as a sovereign body, never closes and highlighted the importance of maintaining operations even in adverse conditions. Aguiar Branco addressed comments from PSD leader Hugo Soares, who insisted on continuous parliamentary functioning, similar to the pandemic period. He noted that while teleworking was implemented, some staff would still work on-site. Aguiar Branco praised the government's preventive measures against Storm Charles, acknowledging the challenges posed by such weather events. He also responded to criticisms from the Confederation of Commerce and Services regarding the proportionality of the measures, stating that risk management often requires sacrifices. Lastly, he stressed the need for political stability following the recent elections, which established the…