The secretary general of the PS, José Luis Carneiro, accused the Government on Friday, October 24, of remaining “on the path of insensitivity and inhumanity” in the proposal to change the nationality law.
Speaking to journalists in Braga, on the sidelines of a session with activists to discuss the State Budget for 2026, Carneiro added that the PS made “a very big effort, until the last minute, to achieve a more balanced solution”, but without success.
“Our fear, we hope it will not be confirmed, is that the options the Government is taking will harm the relationship with Portuguese-speaking countries and citizens and will weaken the most defenseless people”, he said.
He gave as an example a citizen who is in Portugal and who applied for a residence permit four years ago and is waiting for the State to respond to his request.
“However, a child was born to this citizen here in Portugal. This child entered kindergarten, or has already entered school, and if the Government’s law advances as it is, this child could reach 10, 12, 14 or 15 years of age without having a nationality and without being assigned nationality. Do you see the injustice that is committed with an act like this, which is an act of great inhumanity?”, he pointed out.
José Luís Carneiro said that the PS’s proposals were aimed at having a law that would meet some concerns, such as extending deadlines for third-party citizens of the European Union, giving preferential treatment to Portuguese-speaking citizens and particularly protecting the most fragile, “among them children who are in our country and who are born in our country”.
Carneiro said that there was no agreement regarding several socialist proposals and regretted that the Government chose to remain “on the path of insensitivity and inhumanity”.
He stressed that the PS never asked for the nationality law to be changed, as it understood that “there was no problem” with the current version.
He also said that the Government “does this” to distract citizens from vital issues, such as health, housing or the State Budget.
“These are delaying maneuvers, distracting public opinion and, therefore, that is why the Government brought in the law on foreigners, now it brings in the nationality law, a few days ago it brought in the law relating to burqas and you will always find some distracting matters”, he criticized.