The Socialist Party (PS) considered this Monday that the freedom of expression of deputies is “a matter highly subject to self-regulation” by the Assembly of the Republic, referring external organizations’ hearings on the topic for discussion at the leaders’ conference. .
In response to the initiative of the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, to hear on Wednesday at the conference of leaders of former Presidents of the Constitutional Court (TC) about the freedom of expression of deputies and compatibility with possible “red lines”, the parliamentary group of the PS said that it is “a matter of outstanding self-regulation in the functioning of the AR, which it must be responsible for deciding independently, within the framework of the powers and rules enshrined in the AR.” Rules of procedure.”
“Without prejudice to this understanding, the parliamentary group does not refuse the proposal, citing the possibility or convenience of hearing entities external to the AR for discussion at the leadership conference. This understanding prevents the immediate hearing of the former chairmen of the Constitutional Party. The court, not the excluded,” the socialists also noted.
In response to Aguiar-Branco’s proposal, the BE parliamentary group also stressed that this issue deserves a “first discussion” in this space “without recourse to external individuals or organizations”, “above all because it is a matter that must be decided by the Assembly of the Republic, according to terms of its charter, can decide it independently.”
In a response from the Livre parliamentary group, the party said that the hearings of external actors should be discussed at the leadership conference, and stressed that it was not just about “the limits of the freedom of expression of respected deputies”, but “about the duty of intervention of the President of the Assembly of the Republic.”
The parliamentary leader of the PCP, Paula Santos, said today that instead of listening to opinions, the President of the Assembly of the Republic should focus on respecting the Rules of Procedure, which she believes are clear when they involve her intervention. in the face of “offensive and insulting speech.”
This initiative of the President of the Assembly of the Republic was sent to the chairmen of parliamentary groups, as well as the sole deputy of the PAP, as well as parliamentary “deputies” and members of the board.
According to his proposal, at the beginning of this leaders’ conference, “the question of the limits of freedom of speech of respected deputies and their possible compatibility with the establishment of red lines” will be considered.
The issue that arose on Friday morning in plenary after Cega leader André Ventura mentioned the working possibilities of the Turkish people regarding the construction of the new Lisbon airport, which led to the BE, Livre and PS benches defending the intervention to the President of Parliament, to prevent such speech, which they consider “xenophobic”.
In a letter sent to various parliamentary groups to which the Luza agency had access, the reason for Aguiar-Branco’s proposal to listen to the leaders who were presidents of the Constitutional Court was justified.
“Given that the issue at hand is of particular importance and has consequences for the political system, it justifies a detailed analysis from a legal-constitutional point of view. Therefore (…) the President of the Assembly of the Republic is meant to be It is important to listen to the former Presidents of the Constitutional Court so that they can share their opinions and possible consequences, especially in a context in which respected deputies benefit from greater freedom of expression in the performance of their duties thanks to the institution parliamentary immunity,” the text says.
In particular, Aguiar-Branco understood that the invitations should be addressed to José Manuel Cardoso da Costa, Rui Moura Ramos, Joaquim Sousa Ribeiro, Manuel da Costa Andrade and João Kaupers.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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