Portugal’s right is attacking itself again. This time, CHEGA is smarting because the government did not consult it before making changes to the Foreigners Law, in order to get it ‘past’ the Constitutional Court rejection.
Anyone reading the government’s statement today might have queried the part where it said “ the government and the political majority that supports it have introduced a general consideration clause…” Because, the government does not have a political majority. The right is in political majority, but it is not a consensual right: there is the ‘centre right’ (PSD and CDS-PP) and the ‘far right’ (CHEGA), which does not arbitrarily support the government. In fact, CHEGA leader André Ventura has made no bones about the fact that he is putting together a “shadow government of the right”, in case this current one falls (again), and his ultimate ambition is to be ‘prime minister of Portugal’.
Thus, hours after the government’s presentation of its ‘tweaked Foreigners Law’, CHEGA was bitterly complaining during the first fortnightly debate with the prime minister since parliament returned after the summer recess. CHEGA’s beef is that the government has taken its support for granted.
“We didn’t know anything”, leader André Ventura told the house, saying he heard the government’s announcement this morning with “some surprise”.
“PSD does not have a majority in this parliament (…) arrogance is a bad advisor”, he added, stressing that his party is not prepared to ‘go backwards’ when it comes to this law, that, in his opinion, was vetoed by “a president at the end of his mandate”.
Prime minister Luís Montenegro hit back at the criticism, saying “the functioning of democracy has to be respected, the rules of democracy (…) negotiation is not the imposition of the will of André Ventura. He has to learn to live with the rules of democracy”.
The bottom line however is that the government’s changes to the Foreigners Law will have to be approved in parliament – and CHEGA supported the first draft, which is why it passed.
Without CHEGA’s support, the government could end up in a pickle.
New tax deductions for landlords and tenants
In the same debate today, the prime minister announced a ‘broad’ set of measures in the area of housing, including increased tax deductions for tenants and reduced rates for landlords.
Montenegro’s opening speech, in which he outlined the performance so far of his government, stressed that ‘now is not the time for party political agendas’.
Source: LUSA/ SIC Notícias
