Opinion says the idea was unconstitutional. Approved pension supplement, psychologist and rehabilitation in schools too.
The voting marathon has begun State Budget to 2026. And the first day was hectic because of a proposal from the He arrives, what wanted to ban public financing for the construction of mosques.
“Prohibit the use of any funds from the State Budget, European funds, local authorities or any other public entities, (…), for the construction, reconstruction, expansion or maintenance of mosques or other places of worship belonging to Islamic religious denominations”, reads the proposal.
It was a “measure of budgetary prudence and safeguarding the cultural and institutional sovereignty of the Portuguese State”, claimed André Ventura’s party.
The parliamentary Budget and Finance committee had doubts. Because the Constitution defends the principles of equality, freedom of religion and worship.
Therefore, he asked the Constitutional Affairs committee for an opinion – which announced that it was a proposal unconstitutional. It promotes “explicit discrimination based on religious confession” and “arbitrary and unreasonable inequality of treatment, with no sufficient material basis being found in the arguments that support it”, cites the .
Even so, the proposal was voted in the afternoon – and sinker. Chega voted in favor, CDS-PP and PAN abstained, all other parties voted against.
The president of the Budget and Finance committee (Rui Afonso, Chega deputy) justified that he admitted voting on Chega’s proposal on mosques despite the parliamentary opinion that considered it unconstitutional for cannot replace the plenary and the Constitutional Court.
PS and PSD suggested that, in the next similar scenario, it should be discussed whether these proposals are voted on in the hemicycle, even when they are considered unconstitutional.
Other decisions
Parliament specifically approved the PSD and CDS-PP proposal for the Government to pay again in 2026 supplement extraordinary of pensions lower, depending on the evolution of public accounts.
Two proposals to amend Livre were approved, to achieve the ratio of one psychologist per 500 students in schools and to guarantee funding for Community Mental Health Teams.
Still in schools, parliament approved a PS proposal aimed at guaranteeing budgetary funds so that local authorities can rehabilitate schools.
The proposals of Livre, PCP and Bloco de Esquerda, which provided for increase meal allowance in Public Administration next year, were sinkers.
