“There is no contradiction”. The sentence is taken from a joint statement signed by PS deputies Cláudia Santos and Joana Sá Pereira. The note was sent to DN in response to statements by Isabel Moreira, another socialist, who expressed “surprise” and “shock” at the position of other bank colleagues, who contested bills (by BE and PAN) to establish 40% gender quotas in the Constitutional Court (TC).
In the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, the two projects were subject to a legal opinion prepared by Isabel Moreira, which was unanimously approved. That is to say, no deputy, from any party, spoke against it.
The two MPs – as well as six other socialists – signed an opinion piece in the newspaper Publicin which they demonstrate against the “imposition of a gender quota” in the TC, because in their opinion the projects are “unconstitutional” and because, they argue, “justice” is one of the areas where “more space” has reached women, making setting quotas is not justified.
In response to this article, Isabel Moreira spoke out against the position of the other deputies. This Monday, Cláudia Santos and Joana Sá Pereira devalued Isabel Moreira’s statements, mocking: “The op-ed has been signed by six more deputies and at least one of them is on the 1st Commission. Was Isabel Moreira just amazed at us? Is it a gender quota?”
The same note also indicates that “Joana Sá Pereira additionally mentions that, contrary to what Isabel Moreira claims, she was expressly told to be against gender quotas in the TC when they talked about the spread of opinion”. “Therefore, the statement that he was unaware of the coordinator’s opinion is not the truth,” the document concludes.
Faced with this situation, Joana Mortágua, of the Bloco de Esquerda, speaks of “enormous bewilderment” at the position of these deputies. “The process has gone very well, neither the services nor the rapporteur [Isabel Moreira] found any illegality. The legal opinions were voted unanimously, including by the Members who are now raising these issueson a subject he considers “essential to democracy and representativeness,” he explains.
The same amazement is shared by Inês Sousa Real, the only member of the PAN. “We could not understand the argument. This issue is not a requirement, but a condition. Now that it has been unanimously approved, I do not see the withdrawal in the position now,” he says. According to the PAN spokeswoman, “there is a path that must exist and be followed”. And the denial? “I think the arguments make no sense. There are other countries, such as Belgium, that have laws about this. By rejecting this question, we run the risk of opening a Pandora’s box in other parts of society as well. I hope that Members have the freedom to vote, appealing to everyone’s conscience.”
A source from the Livre parliamentary office points to DN that “when you seek parity, you are not defending women’s rights against men’s rights. Gender equality is about equality and equal rights for everyoneWith the pending constitutional review, the same source notes that “for problems of this magnitude to exist, it is enough to have the political will to clear them upbecause in all those years of TC, one of the genres had 66 judges and the other only 15”.
The PCP, in turn, sent clarifications for the intervention of the parliamentary leader, Paula Santos, on July 7 in the plenary session on this issue, where she opposed the introduction of quotas.
By order, Chega and IL had already positioned themselves against it. PSD stands next to Bloco de Esquerda and PAN.
Source: DN
