Portuguese opposition leader António José Seguro has indicated his Socialist bench will abstain next week when parliament votes a Communist censure motion against the centre-right government.

Party sources told Lusa that Seguro described the Communist initiative, coming at a time when Lisbon is implementing an EU-IMF-ECB bailout, as “irresponsible” during a Socialist leadership meeting on Wednesday night.

However, sources say Seguro made it clear that the party would underline its differences with Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho’s executive during the debate and vote at São Bento Palace next Monday.

“This is not the time for partisan games, but for finding solutions to the problems of the Portuguese”, he told the Socialist National Political Commission.

Because the two-party coalition government holds a majority of parliament’s 230-seats, the censure motion will automatically be defeated.

(Photograph: André Kosters/Lusa)