In a significant move towards constitutional revision, André Ventura has dispatched a letter to the leaders of the PSD, Luís Montenegro, and the Iniciativa Liberal, Rui Rocha. Ventura has laid out several key issues he deems critical for forming a consensus that could facilitate changes to the Constitution.
“In this initial phase, we aim to highlight topics we believe are crucial to address, such as ensuring the ideological neutrality of our fundamental text, particularly in the preamble,” Ventura stated.
Chega, the party led by Ventura, has suggested the inclusion of a “national electoral compensation circle, similar to the system in place in the Azores,” along with “clarifying the constitutional text regarding permanent sentences, even if subject to review, and adapting it to criminalize illicit enrichment.”
The proposal further advocates for “limiting the possibility of legal appeals while introducing a provision for constitutional protection appeals,” and “removing the excessive weight of the State from the constitutional text to guarantee the freedom of interaction between public and private services in a spirit of complementarity rather than exclusivity,” as detailed in the document sent to both Luís Montenegro (PSD) and Rui Rocha (IL).
The letter also calls for ensuring a progressive tax system and aims to “work towards depoliticizing certain positions or institutions by altering appointment norms in areas like justice or public activity regulation.”
Ventura articulated the objective of this engagement as “the creation of a platform for understanding or constitutional consensus before the formal revision process begins.”
“Even though constitutional revision is not an absolute priority given the enormous challenges currently faced by the Portuguese, it is undeniable that the direction of history compels us to provide Portugal with a Constitution that everyone can identify with and integrate into,” Ventura further emphasized.
