As of today, the Assembly of the Republic (AR) no longer has the power to approve laws, which means that all legislative processes that were in progress lose their validity and have to be presented again in the next legislature.

At stake are, for example, the regulation of 'lobbying', and some (and more controversial) changes that the Government intended to adopt for the prevention and control of smoking, such as, for example, the ban on the sale and consumption of tobacco near schools, at gas stations or on terraces with some coverage, and also the constitutional review.

In the weeks after the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament, there were several 'dossiers' that deputies hurried to finalise, such as metadata, changes to the regime granting nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews and the exceptional regime proposed by the Government that will allow mobility voting on the day of the European elections, without prior registration, in addition to the right to vote in advance.

After learning of the President of the Republic's decision to dissolve the AR, following the resignation of the Prime Minister, António Costa, on 7 November, subject to a judicial investigation, parliamentarians also accelerated several diplomas relating to the reform of professional orders, obliging Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to enact them after a first veto.

In the last plenary, a PS resolution was also approved recommending that the Government launch the tender for the first section of the Porto-Lisbon high-speed line by the end of January, with Chega abstaining.

Despite Parliament losing its power to legislate from today, with its official dissolution, the president of the AR, Augusto Santos Silva, continues to be the second figure of the Portuguese State, replacing the President of the Republic if necessary. Deputies maintain the same rights, such as parliamentary immunity.

From the moment that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa officially dissolves the Assembly of the Republic (AR), the Permanent Commission comes into office, a body with fewer deputies than the plenary and limited powers, which has a first meeting scheduled for January 24th, with a European Council preparatory debate and political declarations.

According to Lusa, this committee will meet fortnightly on Wednesdays. In addition to January 24th, there is another meeting scheduled for February 7th.

Deputies who are part of the AR Permanent Committee will be able to continue to ask written questions to the Government after the dissolution, but hearings of ministers in committees will cease, maintaining the initiatives planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April.

The Permanent Committee is chaired by the president of the AR and is composed of vice presidents and deputies nominated by all parties, according to their respective representation.

They are responsible for "monitoring compliance with the Constitution and laws and monitoring the activities of the Government and Administration", "exercising the powers of the Assembly in relation to the mandate of the deputies", "promoting the convening of the Assembly whenever necessary".

This body also has the functions of "giving consent to the absence of the President of the Republic from national territory" or "authorising the President of the Republic to declare a state of siege or a state of emergency, to declare war and to make peace".

In short, it will not have the power to "make laws on all matters, except those reserved by the Constitution for the Government" nor to "grant legislative authorisations to the Government".