Tuesday, Portugal's Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Communities debated a draft law put forward by the right-wing party Chega, now the country's second-largest political force. The proposal calls for recognizing Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara and cutting ties with the Polisario Front, a move that sparked sharp disagreements among parliamentary blocs. On Tuesday, Portugal's Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities (CNECP) examined a draft law submitted by right-wing party Chega, calling for the recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. The proposal urges «the immediate recognition of the Kingdom of Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara region and the cessation of all forms of contact with the so-called 'Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic' (Polisario Front)», while also encouraging the Polisario «to lay down arms and engage in a purely peaceful negotiation process with Rabat». Chega, which emerged as the country's second-largest political force in the May elections with 60 seats in the 230-seat parliament, trails the ruling center-right Democratic Alliance (91 seats), while the Socialist Party slipped to third place with 58 seats. Portugal's «ambiguous stance» In its text, Chega criticized what it called Portugal's «ambiguous stance» on the Sahara conflict, noting that Lisbon «simultaneously backs Sahrawi self-determination and a referendum demanded by the Polisario», while also «supporting Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan». The party recalled that Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel reaffirmed last July, after meeting his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, Portugal's «full support for the autonomy initiative, considering it the most serious and credible constructive basis for resolving this conflict». Chega further denounced Lisbon's continued contacts with the self-proclaimed «SADR», which has maintained an official representative in the capital for decades, describing this as «an unjustified obstacle to deepening Portuguese-Moroccan friendship». It argued that Morocco's displeasure was «clearly evident in September 2023, when Portuguese support for rescue operations and humanitarian aid was excluded following the devastating Al Haouz earthquake». «The international normalization process of the Sahara as part of the Kingdom of Morocco has already begun and is irreversible. The refusal to fully recognize it pushes Portugal away from a growing consensus in Western Europe and the broader West, while adding unnecessary tension to Portuguese-Moroccan relations and harming national interests», the party stated. The proposal also highlighted the series of international recognitions of Moroccan sovereignty and the opening of numerous consulates in the Sahara, calling current Portuguese policy «meaningless and outdated». Divergent positions During the committee debate, Chega MP Diogo Pacheco de Amorim stressed that Portugal's position on the conflict is «ambiguous», arguing that the draft law would protect «the permanent interests of the Portuguese state» alongside Morocco, described as an «indispensable historical friend». By contrast, Socialist deputy Pedro Delgado Alves likened the case of Western Sahara to East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, and labeled Chega's proposal «completely contradictory to the Portuguese state's position on the conflict». Paulo Neves of the Social Democratic Party rejected that comparison, saying it was «new for the Socialist Party» and had never been defended while it was in power. He underlined that Portugal has maintained «a very balanced and precise stance in defending the interests of Morocco, the Maghreb, and Portuguese interests», while also preserving contacts with the Polisario. Jorge Pinto of the LIVRE Party called Chega's proposal «frightening», while Rodrigo Saraiva of the Liberal Initiative also drew a parallel between Western Sahara and Timor, but noted that Timor eventually began and completed its independence process. A date will be set for the proposed law to be put to a vote in a plenary session of the National Assembly.
