Parliament authorises further state of emergency
The renewal of the state of emergency was approved on Wednesday by the Portuguese Parliament.
Portugal’s parliament on Wednesday approved the renewal of the state of emergency until January 30 to allow measures to contain Covid-19 with the Socialists, PSD, CDS-PP and PAN voting in favour, an enlarged majority compared to previous votes.
Non-attached Member Cristina Rodrigues also voted in favour, Left Bloc abstained again, while the Communists, Greens, Chega, Iniciativa Liberal and non-attached Member Joacine Katar Moreira voted against once again.
In view of the previous emergency votes in November, December and early this month, CDS-PP and PAN went from abstention to vote in favour, alongside the Socialists and PSD.
This is the ninth state of emergency law that President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has submitted to parliament because of the covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Constitution, it is up to the president to declare a state of emergency, which allows the suspension of the exercise of some rights, freedoms and guarantees, but to do so he must listen to the government and have the authorisation of the parliament.
This decree modifies the state of emergency currently in force, with new rules that apply in the last two days of the previous decree, which ends at 23:59 on Friday, and renews it for a further fifteen days, from 00:00 on Saturday, January 16 until 23:59 on the 30th of this month.
