Chega moves to revive vetoed flags law

Far-right party Chega has formally requested a parliamentary reconsideration of legislation that would ban the display of “ideological, partisan or associative” flags on public buildings, following President António José Seguro’s decision to veto the measure.

The request, submitted on Monday to the President of the Assembly of the Republic and signed by Chega parliamentary leader Pedro Pinto, asks lawmakers to revisit the decree on the use of flags in public buildings as soon as possible.

In a statement accompanying the request, the party argued that public institutions should display only symbols that represent all Portuguese citizens.

“The only flag that unites all Portuguese people is the national flag, and that should be the only one displayed on public buildings, free from any ideological instrumentalisation,” Chega said.

The legislation was approved by parliament in April with the support of PSD, Chega and CDS-PP, but was vetoed last week by President Seguro in what became the first political veto of his presidency.

The decree sought to prohibit the display of flags deemed to be “ideological, partisan or associative” in public buildings, as well as foreign flags except in official diplomatic or protocol contexts.

Under the proposed rules, only the Portuguese flag, the European Union flag, official institutional and heraldic flags, military and security force banners, and certain historically or educationally justified flags would be permitted. In other words, flags associated with social causes, including LGBT rights and environmental issues, would not be allowed.

Following the presidential veto, Chega leader André Ventura argued that parliament has sufficient support to reconfirm the legislation.

Under the Constitution, if parliament approves the decree again by an absolute majority of MPs in office, the president is obliged to promulgate it within eight days of receiving the text.

In his veto message, Seguro argued that the legislation failed to distinguish between partisan political causes and humanitarian causes already recognised under Portuguese constitutional and international law.

“It cannot be ignored that humanitarian causes with explicit constitutional and conventional recognition occupy a different position from political-party positions,” the President wrote.

Seguro also criticised the use of what he described as vague legal concepts, arguing that terms such as “ideological flag” and “associative flag” were not clearly defined in the legislation.

According to the president, the lack of definitions could create uncertainty about how the law should be interpreted and enforced, opening the door to inconsistent application.

The issue now returns to parliament, where MPs will decide whether to amend the legislation in response to the President’s objections or attempt to override the veto by confirming the original text.

Source: LUSA

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.