According to the parliament’s website, a new regimental ballot has been posted for Tuesday, which was initially only scheduled for Friday, the day of the final vote on the state budget for 2023.
Tuesday’s procedural voting guide – which precedes the usual vote on budgetary standards called the day before – lists only the visit of the Republic’s President to Qatar and the Opinions of the Transparency Commission, but not the draft resolutions already submitted to parliament delivered by BE, PAN and Livre on the same theme.
Also this Monday, the parliamentary foreign affairs committee will consider and vote on the assent advice for Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s trip to Qatar, between Wednesday and Friday, “to attend the national team’s first match in the football World Cup.”, which takes place on Thursday🇧🇷
The parliamentary leaders of the PS and PSD have already announced that they will agree to the move – an obligation imposed by the Constitution -, while IL, BE, PAN and Livre have said they will vote against.
In the travel request, the president of the republic is requesting permission to leave the country between November 23 and 25 to watch the first match of the national team in Qatar and admits that the trip may take place via Cairo to participate in a conference on “Future Quality Education” together with other heads of state.
In the same letter addressed to the President of the Parliament, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa refers that “the participation of the highest figures of the State in the matches of the national team had been agreed”, in the presence of the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, featured in the second game (November 28) and the Prime Minister, António Costa, in the third (December 2).
The draft resolutions of BE, PAN and Livre ask parliament not to be represented at the World Cup in Qatar and to recommend the same position to the government, in addition to condemning human rights violations.
Last Thursday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that “Qatar does not respect human rights”, three days before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but asked for the focus to be on the national team.
“Qatar doesn’t respect human rights. All the construction of the stadiums and stuff… but at least let’s forget this. It’s reprehensible, but let’s focus on the team,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the end of the preparation game between Portugal and Nigeria.
A day later, in Fátima, the head of state noted that he will be present at the first game if parliament allows it and assured that he intends to talk about human rights.
Also on Friday, Prime Minister António Costa said that at the World Cup in Qatar, Portuguese political leaders will support the national team and not human rights violations or discrimination against women in that country.
“The World Cup is where it is. We all have a point of view on what Qatar is, but what makes our team in the World Cup is that it is one of the few that managed to qualify,” António Coast began.
After that, the prime minister separated politics and football, keeping the idea that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, himself and Augusto Santos Silva would watch Portugal’s matches in Qatar.
“The world championship is there [no Qatar] and if we go there we will certainly not support the Qatari regime, the violation of human rights in Qatar and the discrimination against women in Qatar. If we go there, we will support the national team, the team of all Portuguese, the team that carries the flag,” he insisted.
Source: DN
