Elections in Portugal: Immigrants are priority for Afro-descendant candidates | NEWS | DW
Portugal will undergo anticipated legislative changes on January 30th, after the fall of the Socialist Government, in October 2021, after the nomination made the 2022 State Budget unfeasible. three names were repeated, including Romualda Fernandes, for the Socialist Party (PS), Beatriz Gomes, for the Left Block (BE), and Ossanda Líber, who reappears on the Portuguese scene for the Aliança party.
Romualda Fernandes, of Guinean origin, strives for continuity, after last October the PS mandate was “incomprehensibly interrupted” by the District of Lisbon. It insists on the themes of migration and asylum, defending not only the regularization of immigrants, but also their full integration into Portuguese society.
Romualda Fernandes
“The Socialist Party has a discourse that values the contribution of immigrants and sees immigrants as a solution and an opportunity and not, as the saying goes, a problem”, he says. Against “populism and pure demagoguery” of parties like CHEGA, which opposes the entry of more immigrants and asylum seekers into Portugal, a socialist candidate reaffirms that “Portugal needs immigrants”.
During an election campaign, Romualda promises to continue to defend all other banners against social exclusion and discrimination, in the name “of justice and equality”. The right to education and housing are among his party’s priorities. “Very particularly, the question of the nationality of the children of foreigners born in Portugal. It was a flag for us [defendemos] at the beginning, which we presented in the previous legislature and which we managed to achieve, “remember.” All the programs that are being built to fight inequalities have a specific focus on the migrant community.”
Deepen the debate on racism
Beatriz Gomes Dias, from Bloco de Esquerda, is, this time, placed in fourth position by the District of Lisbon. Confirm that your party’s program, started in the previous legislature, will also be one of continuity. Combating racial discrimination, promoting equality and defending the rights of the immigrant community are at the forefront among the promises of this Portuguese woman, also of African origin. “It is essential to deepen the debate around racism, its more structural and systemic dimension in Portuguese society, combating the denial that prevents the deepening of this debate”, complete.
Beatriz Gomes Dias
Given the inequalities, Beatriz Gomes considers that it is equally necessary to provide State associations with tools, namely financial and human resources, which remove such migrants. The councilor with no responsibility for the Municipality of Lisbon is also responsible for the change of paradigm in the Foreigners and Borders Services (SEF).
“While this institution is not in operation, it is necessary to create mechanisms to accelerate the regularization of foreign people in Portugal. There cannot continue to be people who wait for several years for an appointment to be able to have a regularized situation. Therefore, this paradigm of The State’s relationship with foreign people has to be transformed and we have to recognize an intransigent defense of the rights of foreign people in Portugal”, he explains.
On the other hand, Beatriz Gomes asks for an evaluation of all reception programs for asylum seekers and refugees, correcting what does not work well.
In defense of the Portuguese abroad
Also coming from immigration, Ossanda Líber, who in September of last year ran for the presidency of Lisbon City Council, is head of the list at the Assembly of the Republic for the Circle of Europe for the Alliance. Invited by the Luso-Franco-Angolan, vice-president of the party, he proposes to represent the best in the Parliament of Portuguese people living abroad.
Ossanda Liber
“I believe that the Portuguese who live abroad can be better represented and that their problems are taken into account in the Assembly of the Republic. Because what has happened so far is that, as shown, problems are brought up during election campaigns. [a público], but then in practice nothing happens “, he considers.
Instead of just one, the candidate wants two constituencies in Europe – one would cover the South and the Center and the other for the North and East, bearing in mind that “the realities are totally different” on the continent: “My concrete proposal is that we make at this stage two constituencies instead of one to allow for greater representation, it means that we would have more deputies, but it also means greater efficiency when it comes to representing these people.”
Of the three points that dominate his “Somos Todos Portugal” campaign, he also proposes a “major consular reform”, because – he argues – “the services are inefficient”. In addition, it advocates a package of tax incentives to attract investments from emigrants. Portuguese, encouraging their return.
“Portugal stood to gain from this, obviously, and so did they. The only thing that happens is that at the moment there are no instruments that attract these investments”, he recalls.
More conditions for greater representation
Besides these names, there are no new faces among Afro-descendants. At least, the other Portuguese political parties contacted by DW have not indicated any faces so far. For Beatriz Gomes, “it is necessary to continue to demand this space of greater representation and equality in the constitution of party lists”, in order to “translate the diversity that exists in Portuguese society”.
“What we need to do is to continue to press for these two realities to come closer together. There are many associations of African people, of African descent, who play a fundamental role in their communities. create conditions for these people to participate in a broader way”, he defends.