Lisbon, Sept. 3, 2025 (Lusa) - Chega said on Wednesday that the government intends to postpone the final approval of the revision of the nationality law until October, prioritising the process to remedy the unconstitutionalities pointed out by the Constitutional Court in the law on foreigners.
This position of the government was communicated by Chega MP Rita Matias in parliament, speaking to journalists. On that occasion, she also said that the government is apprehensive about the existence of "a recall effect" of immigrants after the Constitutional Court (TC) decided that a series of rules contained in the law that sought to revise the law on foreigners were contrary to fundamental law.
At this meeting between the government and Chega, in parliament, the final approval processes for the revisions to the law on foreigners and nationality were among the topics under discussion.
For the government's part, in addition to the minister of cabinet affairs, Leitão Amaro, who is responsible for immigration policies, the ministers of Finance, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, and Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim, were also present.
Speaking to journalists, Rita Matias said that regarding foreigners' and nationality laws, "the government has defined a working methodology to deal with these issues at two different times."
"For now, for September, we will try to find solutions to what the Court of First Instance said about the law on foreigners. I think it's important to emphasise that Chega, which has a demonstration scheduled for next Saturday, is naturally not comfortable with what we've heard. It has been confirmed by the minister in charge [António Leitão Amaro] that a call effect is taking place with AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) and with the courts," said Rita Matias.
However, according to Rita Matias, during the meeting, no concrete figures were presented on how this alleged call effect is translating into the national territory.
Concerning the new attempt to pass the revision of the foreigners' law through the constitutional sieve, the vice-president of the Chega bench said that her party, together with the government, will endeavour to "resolve this whole process of the foreigners' law even before the break for the budget period".
"Chega had warned about this issue of the call effect, and we take a dim view of the TC's decision, which will condition the whole process from now on," she warned.
The Chega candidate for mayor of Sintra also said that her party will "strengthen the challenge to the TC's decision, which was above all a political decision, as some members of the TC themselves have confirmed".
"We're ready to resolve the law. As far as we're concerned, the more restrictive this legislation is, the better. It won't be through Chega that we won't have a solution," she added.
Regarding the specific issue of family reunification, she defined her political force as "a pro-family party, with the greatest concern for families that are legitimately constituted, that can establish themselves, that can have their children in situations of security, peace and tranquillity".
"However, for us, these families are made up of monogamous marriages, voluntary marriages. We will not acknowledge any family reunification of marriages made through negotiations. There has to be proof of cohabitation to avoid the deals that have been set up at this level," he said.
On this point, she even warned the government: "We will never tolerate any relationship that has been established with minors. These are some of the conditions that we were able to discuss with the minister."
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Lusa
