PM will not request a preventive review to the changes in parties’ financing law
The prime minister says that it's time for the President's judgment. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had previously suggested that parties should firstly send the new law to the Constitutional Court.
“It’s time for the President’s judgment”. This was the prime minister’s comment to the suggestion made by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, this Wednesday, of having political parties send the new financing law to the Constitutional Court before he decided, in eight days, whether or not he would promulgate the new law.
“The prime minister does not see constitutional reasons that would justify a preventive review” of the diploma, stated an official source from the prime minister to ECO. António Costa will not request a preventive review to the changes in political parties’ financing law: he considers this is a matter that concerns the Parliament and that the changes were approved by a “large majority”. In addition to the prime minister, one fifth of deputies can also request a preventive review of the diploma.
The Portuguese Parliament changed the laws about the financing of political parties and only the Democratic and Social Center Party (CDS) and the People-Animals-Nature party (PAN) questioned the VAT exemption and the end of limited fundraising for political parties. Both parties asked, this Wednesday, the President of the Portuguese Republic to veto the law. Assunção Cristas (CDS) stated the changes are “scandalous and inadmissible”. As for Francisco Guerreiro, from PAN, he requested more transparency on the process.
Shortly after, in a note disclosed in the Presidency website, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa clarified that the document is an Organic Law — the same is to say that “the President of the Republic can only comment on the diploma eight days after receiving it”. Nonetheless, he suggested that the prime minister or parties represented in Parliament should request a preventive review to the Constitutional Court.
One fifth of deputies means that 46 deputies have to ask the Constitutional Court for the preventive review of the document, which can only be done either by the Socialist Party (PS) or by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), or by a sum of different deputies from different parties. The Left Block (BE) said it is available to improve the changes made to the Law. However, PSD, PS, PCP (Portuguese Communist Party) and PEV (Greens) have gathered to stand by the amendments.
