“The constitutional values have defeated the AD’s agreement with Chega. This is a victory for humanism over the inhumanity that the coalition of AD with Chega wanted to imprint on this legislation now struck down by the Constitutional Court, which challenged integration with dignity and humanity,” stated the Secretary-General of PS, José Luís Carneiro, in a statement sent to Lusa.
The socialist believes the rejection of the foreigners’ law is “a serious political defeat for the Government, its arrogance, and the incompetence revealed in this matter.”
“The Prime Minister should listen more to the authoritative voice of the President of the Republic (and, by the way, also that of PS). The country would benefit from it,” he argued.
According to José Luís Carneiro, to navigate the veto by the President of the Republic resulting from this Constitutional Court’s rejection, Portugal “deserves that AD not rush, that it fulfills all procedural and legal requirements, and also to be better accompanied in its partnerships.”
“Because this is the result of its coalition with Chega and the extremist and inhumane policies that align with the far-right discourse and not with a moderate and responsible party,” he argued.
From the PS’s perspective, its leader promises “responsibility and humanism” and shows openness to contribute to a solution that guarantees “responsibility and humanity.”
“PS notes with satisfaction the jurisdictional protection that the Constitutional Court has established concerning family protection, which is of utmost importance for this and other issues. In fact, allowing family reunification is certainly one of the best instruments to promote good migrant family integration,” he praised.
Carneiro added that “PS tried to spare the Government from this situation and duly warned about the haste, procedural errors, and the lack of mandatory consultation with various entities.”
“This is also a legal defeat for the coalition between AD and Chega,” he pointed out.
The President of the Republic vetoed today the parliament decree that approves the legal regime for the entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreigners from the national territory, following the Constitutional Court’s announcement of the unconstitutionality of five norms.
This decision by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was announced minutes after the judges of the Palácio Ratton declared the veto of five norms of the parliamentary decree that approves the legal regime for the entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreigners from the national territory.
The Constitutional Court’s decision follows a request from the President of the Republic for preventive supervision of the constitutionality of seven norms of this decree on July 24.
The decree was approved on July 16 in the Assembly of the Republic, with favorable votes from PSD, Chega, and CDS-PP, an abstention from IL, and votes against from PS, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN, and JPP.
The bill was criticized by almost all parties, except PSD, Chega, and CDS-PP, with several deeming it unconstitutional and criticizing the legislative process for proceeding without consulting immigrant associations or constitutionalists and lacking required opinions.
In the request sent by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to the Constitutional Court, the President of the Republic sought preventive supervision of the constitutionality of the norms regarding the right to family reunification and the conditions for its exercise, the deadline for requests to be assessed by the Agency for Integration, Migrations, and Asylum (AIMA), and the right to appeal.
