The Portuguese government will put deficit limits in the bailed-out country's constitution as part of the state's reform package to ensure a balance in the state budget, Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Thursday.

Portugal's Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas announced on Wednesday night the state reform bill and proposed an open discussion about it with political parties and social entities in the country.

After the bailout program with the troika - comprising the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank - ends in June 2014, the "golden rule for fiscal balance can be included in the basic law of the country," Portas said.

The deputy prime minister said including a deficit limit in the constitution would send a message of clear tranquility and confidence to the institutions as well as the "international markets."

He said the government would change the model of public administration so as to have "fewer but better paid employees."

According to the reforms, the Portuguese government will create a social security reform commission to draw up a proposal to overhaul the system and make sure it is sustainable.

Portugal has been implementing a tough austerity policy which has been blamed for the deepening recession in the country and has also sparked strong discontent among the public under a 78-billion-euro (about 101 billion U.S. dollars) bailout agreement clinched with the troika in May 2011.

The Portuguese government hopes to exit the bailout program with the troika in June 2014 and return to the international markets at that time. It has included more austerity measures in the 2014 state budget such as the further cutting of pensions and public servant salaries to meet the deficit reduction target of 4 percent by the end of next year. Endi

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