The IL proposes in the constitutional revision to end the representation of the Republic in the autonomous regions, establish a budgetary cap on the deficit and introduce government spending and freedom of choice in public services, with the intention of replacing the preamble of the constitution rewrite.
João Cotrim Figueiredo, president of the Liberal Initiative (IL), spoke to Lusa and described the proposed constitutional reform, which will be “surgical and limited” and will focus on three key areas.
In terms of political freedoms, IL wants to rewrite the preamble “remove the reference to opening a way for a socialist society and replace it with opening foundations for the establishment of a liberal democracy”.
Fiddling with the substantive limits of constitutional revision is another proposal from the IL, which also wants to “change an anachronistic requirement that candidates for the presidency of the Republic must be of Portuguese descent”, making it sufficient that they have Portuguese nationality.
“We are going to make it clear with regard to the possibility of extradition that it cannot be made to requesting states that have a history of violating fundamental rights and we are also going to provide for the right to forget personal data deserving of constitutional dignity,” explains. Cotrim Figueiredo.
Within the scope of the separation of powers with respective scrutiny, the Liberals propose the merger of the High Council of the Judiciary with the High Council of the Public Prosecution Service, “appointing a majority of the members of this new single High Council by the parliament of non-judgment”.
“Ending with the representative of the Republic in the Autonomous Regions distributing most of its powers to the President of the Republic and ensuring that the appointment of the PGR and the President of the Court of Auditors is made by the President of the Republic, but on the proposal of the Assembly of the Republic with a two-thirds majority,” he noted.
In the field of economics and society, according to the president of IL, emphasis should be placed on “the constitutional budgetary limit for the deficit of zero and for government spending of 35% of GDP”, the exception of which would only be “in the light of a decision of two-thirds of the assembly and in situations of obvious emergency and public calamity”.
“We are going to amend a series of articles generally related to public services, introducing freedom of choice in each of them, that is, all public, private, social, cooperative sectors can be part of the public service guarantee that the The state still has, but does not have to provide,” he added, putting health, education, social security and housing at stake.
IL also wants to introduce municipal or sectoral minimum wages and “an article relating to economic regulators not present in any part of the constitution” with a “logic of great independence from government, budgetary independence and where the administrations and presidential elections are chosen through competition”.
In terms of public administration, according to Cotrim Figueiredo, the aim is “to establish the principles of transparency, impartiality, simplification, but also career development and merit-based recruitment”.
Make it clear that the prime minister is a member of government and is one of the ministers who is required to appear in parliament, provide amparo appeals and have parliamentary reviews requested by a parliamentary group and not a minimum number of deputies are other amendments that liberals want to include in the constitution.
IL also wants to refer to the importance of the November 25 date in the constitutional text and defends that, “As April 25 prevented the continuation of a fascist dictatorship, so November 25 prevented the establishment of a communist dictatorship”.
Source: DN
