By law, an election needs to be held within 60 days of the publishing of the presidential decree dissolving parliament. "I hope that time, sooner rather than later, will allow us to clarify what happened," Rebelo de Sousa said. By calling the March election, Rebelo de Sousa also addressed the need of the PS to pick a new leader to run. Earlier, PS President Carlos Cesar said March would be the best timing, while other parties pointed to January or February. "It is urgent to reestablish trust and prestige in democratic institutions," the leader of the PSD, Luis Montenegro, said after the president announced the election.

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Persons: Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Rebelo de Sousa, Antonio Costa, illegalities, Costa, Rebelo, Mario Centeno, Filipe Garcia, Mercados, Carlos Cesar, Andre Ventura, Luis Montenegro, Catarina Demony, Sergio Goncalves, Andrei Khalip, Marguerita Choy, Alistair Bell Organizations: Lawmakers, Socialist, Socialist Party, of State, Prosecutors, Bank of Portugal, Social Democrats, PSD, Thomson Locations: LISBON, Portugal, Portuguese, Lisbon, Belem, Europe, Western, Montenegro