Luís Montenegro spoke at the official residence in São Bento, Lisbon, in a room with eight Portuguese flags, minutes after the nationality law was approved in Parliament. The approval received votes in favor from PSD, Chega, IL, and CDS-PP.
When asked if he fears the bill might be halted in Belém or by the Constitutional Court, the Prime Minister responded that “the political system has rules of operation.”
“We do not command, nor do we intervene, in the process of reflection and political and legal reading by His Excellency the President of the Republic. We respect, as always, what his assessment will be and will respect his decision,” he said.
However, he added, “Although my conviction and ours is that there are all the reasons to proceed with the promulgation of the decree coming from the Assembly of the Republic, its publication, and its entry into force.”
“Noting for this purpose that it received approval by a very significant majority, a majority of over 70% of the deputies who represent the political will of the Portuguese people,” he stated.
In response to the question of whether he feels comfortable with Chega’s decisive vote in the approval, he responded that “the Government feels not only comfortable but also obliged to legislate in order to solve the concrete problems of the citizens who live and work in Portugal,” “regardless of some posters that any political party may have in the street.”
