“There is something that left me a little concerned regarding the methodology and the speed with which this issue [foreigners law] was addressed. This is not advisable, and therefore, I am very worried about the fact that a broad consensus was not sought to make a change of this magnitude,” stated António José Seguro on the sidelines of a visit to the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology at the University of Porto (IPATIMUP).
Speaking to journalists, the candidate emphasized that, in a community, each person is different in their freedoms but equal in their needs; thus, cohesion is necessary because failing to achieve this will hamper establishing rules for communal living.
“Well, this is a law that affects those rules or can affect those rules, and my role as a candidate for President of the Republic is to highlight the need to bring cohesion to society and to avoid this unraveling that is happening, where it seems that fewer people are looking out for the common good,” he emphasized.
Although he is not yet familiar with the decree, António José Seguro emphasized that consensus is needed in matters related to common ground and the civilizational base.
Seguro argued that the country needs people who abandon the trench culture and are capable of engaging in the construction and reconstruction of social cohesion.
“I feel the unraveling a lot, and it is necessary to unite again,” he stated.
The changes to the legal framework for the entry, stay, exit, and removal of foreigners from the national territory were approved on Thursday in a final global vote in parliament, with votes from PSD, Chega, and CDS, amid much criticism regarding the lack of mandatory opinions and the government’s haste, which led to IL’s abstention.
At issue is the absence of mandatory opinions and the hearing of immigrant associations and constitutional experts, as requested by opposition parties.
On Thursday night, the President of the Republic admitted he could approve the new foreigners law if it represents a balance between ending the “unsustainable situation” that existed and not “falling into the opposite extreme,” given that Portugal needs immigrants.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stressed that if the foreigners law, approved today in Parliament, respects the Constitution, he will examine its political content.
