Livre, PCP, and BE unite to force parliamentary review of PSU

Left-wing political parties Livre, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), and Bloco de Esquerda (BE) have aligned to request a parliamentary appreciation of the decree-law establishing the Prestação Social Única (PSU).

By combining their parliamentary seats—six from Livre, three from PCP, and one from BE—the parties meet the ten-deputy threshold required to trigger this constitutional mechanism. This process could lead to the alteration or termination of the decree-law.

The PSU decree-law, which was promulgated by President António José Seguro, is set to enter into force this Friday, though its effects will only begin on December 31. Opposition parties have raised concerns regarding the legislation, specifically noting that households with movable assets exceeding 32,227 euros will be excluded from the benefit. This threshold represents a shift from an earlier parliamentary proposal that suggested a limit of approximately 16,000 euros.