In remarks following a meeting with the President of the Republic at the Palácio de Belém, Paulo Raimundo stated that the law amending the legal framework for the entry and stay of foreigners was created “hastily” with “formal oversights.”
“It contains elements that we believe may be unconstitutional, and that is an aspect that [the President] cannot overlook in his assessment,” Paulo Raimundo noted.
Asked whether he supports sending the law to the Constitutional Court, the secretary-general of the PCP responded: “What I would assert is that there was no need for such haste with this law.”
“There was no immediate requirement for this law. Then, there was no need for this hurried ‘rush job,’ excuse the phrase. If it indeed shows signs of unconstitutionality, we believe that it will have to be assessed from a constitutional perspective,” he added.
Paulo Raimundo emphasized that, on this matter, he is not “at odds” with the President, “quite the opposite,” but highlighted that he does not wish to be “impolite” by revealing President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s intentions.
On his reasons for requesting the meeting, the PCP’s secretary-general mentioned that there are “a series of issues that need solving,” including health, housing, the “difficult life,” and the “rising cost of living.”
“We face a government that not only fails to address these issues but prioritizes responding to other matters,” he stated, noting that this context includes the privatization of TAP, the reduction of corporate tax, and the laws on foreigners and nationality.
Paulo Raimundo also discussed the extraordinary supplement for pensioners announced by the government, arguing that while “one-off supports” can be “very useful for recipients at that moment,” monthly expenses persist, not just once a year.
“What needs resolution is the health service staffing shortage, access to housing, and ensuring that constitutional right,” he argued.
According to him, the “government is out of touch,” “serving economic groups,” and “disconnected from reality.”
“We have a government that lives in a bubble, wrapped in its own propaganda and illusion, distanced from the lives and struggles of the people,” he accused.
