“I am pleased because it is a reformist and future-oriented [Government] Program. Now, from the program to execution, there is a significant interval that must be covered,” stated Gouveia e Melo during a visit to the Feira do Campo Alentejano in the Beja district.
After visiting the Aljustrel Mining Complex, the candidate mentioned that he had only read the document “in a very preliminary way,” but wished “luck to the Government” in implementing the planned measures.
“The [Government] Program, in general, will contribute to the country’s development. We all progress, and Portugal will progress if the program is executed,” he anticipated.
Gouveia e Melo admitted, on the other hand, that “there are controversial aspects in the Government Program” but considered that “this is part of the political-party struggle,” particularly the issue of immigration.
Concerning the measures on this issue, the retired admiral stated that “immigration must be controlled.”
“However, the people who are here must also be integrated, and the Government talks about both these things. And I think that is relevant for the future,” emphasized Gouveia e Melo.
A “regulated and humanist immigration” is the fourth priority axis of the program submitted to Parliament today.
In the proposal, among other measures, the executive mentions that it will promote a “review of the foreign nationals law and asylum law, limiting migratory flows, namely family reunification, to the capacity of public services and the integration of Portuguese society.”
It also intends to restrict job-seeking visas to candidates with high qualifications and to consider introducing criteria for progress in the Portuguese language domain in the renewal of certain types of residence permits.
The Program of the XXV Constitutional Government, stemming from the May 18 elections won by the AD (PSD/CDS) coalition, was submitted today to the Assembly of the Republic by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim.
The government program was approved in the Council of Ministers on Thursday and will be debated in the Assembly of the Republic on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the press conference following the Government meeting, the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, described the document as “an ambitious program to transform the country,” structured around 10 priority axes, including state reform, regulated immigration, income increase, proximity security, housing, and defense.
The PCP has already announced that it will present a motion of rejection, but the initiative from the communists is set to be rejected, as, in addition to the PSD and CDS, it also lacks the support of Chega and the PS.
