Lisbon, June 12, 2026 (Lusa) - The PSD (Social Democratic Party) on Friday indicated its willingness to “review the timeframe” for immigrants to access social support, a demand made by far-right Chega, as well as to review the obligations of people with disabilities under the future single social benefit.
Parliament was debating the government’s proposal to authorise the creation of the single social benefit (PSU), which is expected to pass without a detailed vote, as announced on Thursday by Chega leader André Ventura, following an agreement with the PSD.
During the debate, the Social Democratic parliamentary leader, Hugo Soares, expressed his willingness to review one of the controversial points, namely that people with a dependency level below 80% are also required to undertake community service to access the benefit, whilst insisting that this obligation was “copied and pasted” from the current rules of the Social Integration Income.
“Is the PSD parliamentary group willing to discuss this matter in detail and do what the left has never done in Portugal – namely, review these conditions?” he asked.
On the other hand, he issued a challenge to André Ventura, after the Chega leader had stated that this benefit should not be “a magnet for immigration”, arguing that it should be granted only to those who have contributed to the system.
“We are talking about a non-contributory social security scheme, which already includes a provision expressly designed so that those who come here and choose our country become eligible for this benefit after a waiting period,” said Hugo Soares, referring to the current one-year waiting period, which Chega wants to extend to five years.
And he posed a direct question to Ventura for the committee stage: “Are you willing to distinguish between the contributory and non-contributory schemes? And we will be willing to look at the waiting period you wish to discuss.”
“Yes, we are willing,” replied the Chega leader.
During the debate, the left was unanimous in describing the government’s proposal as severe, with the PS (Socialist Party) arguing that the current PSD/CDS-PP government had gone “beyond the ‘troika’” by lowering the asset thresholds required to access this benefit.
PS MP Miguel Cabrita, former Secretary of State for Employment, accused the government of having chosen to “stigmatise and unite” rather than simply combining several benefits into one – an original proposal by the PS Government that was never implemented.
“Instead of a single social benefit, the government is once again treating us with utter insensitivity and a uniquely anti-social prejudice against the poor,” he accused.
Meanwhile, the sole Left Bloc MP, Fabian Figueiredo, accused the government of “moral bankruptcy” for making “compulsory work” a condition for accessing the new PSU, arguing that this was never demanded “of bankers’ families” after the country spent €22 million to plug the banks’ holes.
Isabel Mendes Lopes, speaking for Livre, expressed concern that a household needs only to possess “small savings and an old car” to become ineligible for the scheme; she also highlighted the importance of voluntary work and the creation of a reporting channel that encourages “social cohesion”.
In the same vein, Communist Party MP Alfredo Maia accused the PSD of acting “as Chega’s crutch in a deeply reactionary programme”, whilst the sole PAN MP, Inês Sousa Real, criticised the government for wanting to lump together support for orphans, the homeless and the unemployed.
Speaking for the IL, MP Joana Cordeiro called for greater clarity in the government’s decision to submit a request for legislative authorisation to parliament, describing it as a “blank cheque” because the base amount of the PSU remains unknown.
Apart from the PSD, only the CDS-PP came out in defence of the measure, with MP João Almeida arguing that giving people the chance to “give back to society is not a disgrace, but a fair contract”.
In the same vein, Hugo Soares argued that the work obligations set out in the PSU “dignify” applicants and encouraged the left, in particular the PS, to demonstrate greater consistency.
“The fight against poverty is not your preserve; your preserve is poverty, ours is lifting people out of poverty,” he stated.
Filipe Sousa, the sole JPP MP, who also tabled a bill on the subject, argued that “combating fraud is an obligation of any serious state”, but suggested that the state should avoid making suspicion the rule or treating poverty as a reason for constant surveillance.
SMA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
