The parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) stated on Wednesday that he saw “no indication from the President of the Republic” suggesting that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa intends to send the foreigners’ law back to the Constitutional Court.
Hugo Soares was responding, in an interview with RTP, to the president’s remarks on Tuesday, who assured he will “meet the deadline,” noting this will allow him to conclude his “inclination.”
“It was submitted on the 8th, meanwhile, as you know, I was in Estonia, I returned, and if it weren’t for these missions and schedules already set, I might have decided already, because the deadline ends on the 16th to decide whether or not to send it to the Constitutional Court. Therefore, on the 16th, I already have in my mind what the decision will be, but on the 16th, I will announce the decision on the matter,” he emphasized.
Hugo Soares, however, expressed no concern, stating “quite frankly” that he did not read “in the words of the President of the Republic any indication of one intention or the other.”
In any case, “we worked hard in Parliament to seek and eliminate any doubts of unconstitutionality that might exist.”
“From our point of view, there were no unconstitutionality issues, but corresponding to what was a decision of the Constitutional Court, we sought to align the law with the Constitutional Court’s decision, and today we are much more secure,” added the parliamentary leader of the social democrats, noting that the party disagrees with the court’s initial decision.
Regarding the nationality law, particularly the government’s intent to strip citizenship from individuals who committed serious crimes punishable by sentences of five years or more, Hugo Soares revealed a development.
“We will remove this from the nationality law,” but cautioned: “We will not drop it. It will be discussed in a separate bill,” which is still being worked on by the PSD bench.
Approval of the State Budget? “The PS correctly interpreted the sentiment of the Portuguese”
This separate bill, like several other reforms the government intends to make (in fiscal and labor matters and immigration, for example), is not included in the State Budget.
“Substantial public policies (in housing, education, and fiscal matters), I believe, should not be in a State Budget. They should be discussed calmly, thoughtfully, outside the State Budget,” argued Hugo Soares.
“The budget should be the budget,” he added, considering that “for any government, it is always easier” to have certain measures in the State Budget to somewhat ‘force’ the document’s approval in the Assembly of the Republic. However, for him, “this is deceiving the Portuguese”: the State Budget is not meant to “change scattered legislation.”
Hugo Soares also made a point of praising the decision of the secretary-general of the Socialist Party (PS) to abstain from voting on the State Budget, thus enabling the document.
“I believe the PS, quite frankly, correctly interpreted, on one hand, the sentiment of the Portuguese and, on the other hand, the content of the State Budget for 2026. Therefore, it acted in coherence with this,” he considered.
“I can’t classify it as a relief for the PSD; I think it is mainly a greater relief for the country,” the social democrat added.
Besides this decision by the PS, Hugo Soares also praised the socialist leader, José Luís Carneiro, comparing him to Pedro Nuno Santos, who preceded the PS leadership.
“The previous [leadership] had a perception of what being in opposition meant, which was a kind of government of the parliament. It was understood that the opposition could govern through the parliament,” he stated.
The socialist secretary-general, José Luís Carneiro, announced today a “demanding abstention” in the State Budget for 2026 (OE2026) to “ensure the country’s political stability,” despite criticizing the government’s budget proposal.
Lusa | 02:18 – 15/10/2025
PSD “expected more” in the Lisbon City Council
Turning now to the local elections, which took place on Sunday, October 13th, the social democrat admitted that “the PSD even expected more” votes in Lisbon, recalling that the PSD leader and Prime Minister “asked for an absolute majority” in the capital the day before the campaign ended.
Even so, he argued that Carlos Moedas “achieved an extraordinary result,” which is justified “for a very simple reason: due to the merit of engineer Carlos Moedas’ term.”
Hugo Soares also admitted that the re-election of the Lisbon mayor might have received votes from “moderate voters,” who “saw the PS candidacy as a kind of surrogate for Mariana Mortágua and Rui Tavares and didn’t like it.”
The candidate heading the PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition for the Lisbon City Council, Carlos Moedas, claimed victory in Sunday’s municipal elections, stating that the Lisbon residents opted for the continuity of the project started in 2021.
Lusa | 01:45 – 13/10/2025
