The leader of the Chega party, André Ventura, has accused the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Aguiar-Branco, of backtracking on the nationality law simply because Chega introduced the proposal.
“It seems we are speaking in opposite directions. It is a bad sign for the legislature and democracy,” he told journalists following a meeting of the Chega Parliamentary Group at the Assembly of the Republic.
André Ventura indicated that Aguiar-Branco considered Chega’s project—which aims to revoke the nationality of individuals who commit crimes—as “unconstitutional.” However, he noted that Luís Montenegro also supported the idea at the government’s program presentation earlier this week.
“Once again, it seems the Assembly of the Republic wants to assert itself as the exclusive holder of constitutional truth. With all due respect, it’s not up to the President of the Assembly to declare if a project is constitutional or unconstitutional. That is the role of the Constitutional Court, and once again, what happened with Dr. Ferro Rodrigues—a blockade force—is happening as Chega’s projects are being put forward,” Ventura criticized, echoing the words of the Prime Minister.
“It was Prime Minister Luís Montenegro who agreed with the potential loss of nationality for those who commit crimes. Chega presented a project in this line, and now the very President of the Assembly from the PSD calls it unconstitutional?” he queried.
Regarding the arguments presented by Aguiar-Branco to justify his stance, André Ventura explained that they suggest “loss of nationality would violate the existing constitutional right to have a nationality,” something Ventura claims affects “only 0.0001% of cases.”
“Here the signal is political. It’s a serious signal to those acquiring nationality, like those obtaining residency in Portugal, that they will not benefit from it indefinitely if they commit crimes in Portugal. I thought the PSD agreed with this. Apparently, it does not,” he emphasized, pointing out that by labeling the project unconstitutional from the start, “the President of the Assembly is preventing any debate or amendments in the plenary session.”
Last Tuesday, the Prime Minister stated that the proposed review of the nationality law will have three main axes, including a broader scope for nationality loss, particularly concerning “serious criminal behavior.”
Luís Montenegro made these remarks in response to a request for clarification from the CDS-PP. He recalled that the intention to review the nationality law was already included in the AD’s electoral program and was part of a “more regulated and more controlled immigration policy.”
Montenegro further mentioned that the government’s proposal will be known “soon” and will include “three main axes,” which, while not exclusive, the Prime Minister highlighted as “essential.”
These include “extending the period for applying for nationality by naturalization,” strengthening “the effective connection candidates must demonstrate regarding understanding and integration into our culture, civic, and social habits,” as well as expanding “the scenarios where nationality loss may occur due to serious, very serious, namely criminal behavior,” Montenegro enumerated.
