The parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Hugo Soares, spoke on Tuesday after the approval of the Foreigners’ Law in Parliament. This approval followed an agreement between the PSD and Chega.
“It is not from today, nor from this year, nor even from previous governments in which PSD ruled the country. The Portuguese know that fighting fraud, and abuses regarding social support has always been part of our DNA. From this point of view, we did not need to make any concession or agreement with any party,” he said to journalists in Parliament.
Hugo Soares was confronted with the topic of the day, the approval, but he stuck to this idea, emphasizing: “The fight against abuse and fraud in accessing social benefits should be a fight for everyone so that social benefits are granted to those who need them and meet the criteria for access. I repeat: Regarding abuse and fraud, the PSD and the Government will do everything to ensure that social benefits are granted to those who need them.”
In the Assembly of the Republic, Hugo Soares further stated that there is always an open door, as in various other matters, to improve mechanisms against unjust access to social benefits.
As for the Foreigners’ Law, which marked the day coinciding with the start of election campaigns, it was approved with favorable votes from PSD, Chega, CDS-PP, JPP, and Liberal Initiative (IL). The PS, Livre, PCP, Left Bloc (BE), and PAN voted against.
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