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Shortly before the vote (152 votes for and 64 against), the party of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, which does not have an absolute majority in the assembly, announced that it had reached an agreement with the anti-immigration group Chega, the second Portuguese political force, which involved “concessions on both sides“.
The new text aims to overcome the objections made last December by the Constitutional Court, which considered that several articles of its first version were contrary to the fundamental law, in particular a provision providing for the loss of nationality in the event of conviction for serious crimes. The new president elected in February, the socialist Antonio José Seguro, will once again be able to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court to examine amendments to the nationality law.
The reform passed on Thursday still tightens the conditions of access to nationality and notably maintains the possibility of forfeiture of nationality as an accessory penalty in the context of a criminal conviction, even if its terms have been modified. Last September, the Assembly voted for a reform toughening the entry conditions for foreigners which initially encountered a presidential veto due to objections raised by the Constitutional Court concerning the provisions on family reunification. And, in March, the government adopted a legislative reform aimed at facilitating and accelerating the expulsion of illegal immigrants, which it will soon have to submit to a vote in Parliament.
