The President of the Republic announced that he had decided to adopt the amendments to the law regulating the functioning of the Portuguese Communities, but with “a certain pain in his heart” and disappointment, arguing that more could have been done.
“A diploma is about to be accepted that, although with repairs, I am a little disappointed with the diploma, proclaiming it to the Council of Portuguese Communities scattered around the world,” he said.
Speaking to TVI and RTP on an Algarve beach, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated that in the end he “executed it, but with a certain pain in his heart something more could be done”.
The head of state said that “significant steps have been taken, but there are others that could have been taken, and that disappointment actually came from the Permanent Council of the Council of Communities, who thought it could have gone a little “further”.
The President of the Republic also thought it was “a pity that such an important law, which is national, had no consensus in principle in parliament”.
“There were many parties who voted against, who distanced themselves from the solution, and it cannot be a law that mainly comes from one party,” he defended.
Regarding the new housing package, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that the initiatives arrived in Belém on Wednesday and that they will now be examined, indicating that he has “20 days” to do so, that is, until August 29.
“Theoretically eight days to get before the Constitutional Court and then another 12 days to enact or veto it. It will be what I will spend my mornings and nights on for the next few days, even on vacation,” he said.
“It’s perhaps the issues at the beginning that are the most ‘divided’ and controversial, at least one of the laws. [Uma] it is an operating law of the public administration, to make housing construction and access to housing faster and end bureaucracy, the other is the one that enforced rent and local housing. [Para] I need to take a closer look at this one,” said the president of the republic.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa indicated that he will be in Poland “from the 20th” and then “practically straight” to São Tomé and Príncipe, where he will participate in the Community of Lusophone Countries (CPLP) summit, on the 27th.
“I will not leave the decision on these matters to the last day and therefore I will have to decide earlier,” he said.
The head of state said he still has “an immense package of laws from the government and the assembly, especially from the government” to analyze, pointing out that the government is “producing a lot of laws and the assembly has only now sent the latest package of laws “, which “usually happens at the end of July”.
“It was counted to the [ex-] President Cavaco [Silva] I left with a van and brought here to the Algarve everything I needed to see. I brought a van, but vans are coming all August, that’s life,” he said, indicating that he is on holiday “with work at the same time”.
The Assembly of the Republic approved on July 7 the amendments to the law governing the functioning of the Portuguese Communities with the favorable votes of the PS and the PAN, against the PSD, Chega and IL and abstention of the PCP and Livre .
Among the various amendments approved are the limitation of councilors’ terms of office to 12 years, and the obligation – although not binding – of the CCP, as the government’s consultative body, to be heard in executive branch initiatives that concern the diaspora .
Advisers are also beginning to attend the work of the Assembly of the Republic, including parliamentary committees, dealing with affairs of the Portuguese communities, especially when they are subject to compulsory consultation.
Source: DN
