Portugal: the commission judges a far-right proposal to ban the financing of mosques “unconstitutional”

The Constitutional Affairs Commission of the Portuguese Parliament has rejected a proposal from the far-right Chega party to modify the 2026 state budget to prohibit the use of public funds in the construction of mosques. Written by PSD deputy Francisco José Martins, the adopted opinion concludes that Chega’s text violates the Constitution, by establishing “explicit discrimination based on religious affiliation” contrary to the principles of equality and religious freedom. The position was approved by the PS, the PSD, the PCP, Livre and the JPP. Chega voted against and the CDS-PP abstained. As a result, the proposal was not admitted to debate or vote as part of the 2026 budget.

This episode once again illustrates Chega’s strategy, which seeks to impose in the public space measures directly targeting the Muslim community, despite their manifest incompatibility with the Portuguese constitutional framework. The broad and transversal rejection of the proposal shows that, on the question of religious freedoms, a democratic consensus remains solid in Parliament. But it also reveals the insistence of André Ventura’s party in using the religious theme to polarize the political debate, at the risk of weakening social cohesion.