Portugal's Parliament Approves Burqa Ban

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a politically charged and deeply divisive move, Portugal's parliament has given its initial approval to a contentious bill that would ban the wearing of burqas and other face-covering veils in public spaces, thrusting the nation into the heart of a fierce European debate over religious freedom, women's rights, and national security.

The proposal, driven by the far-right Chega party, successfully garnered the support of a coalition of center-right parties in a vote on Friday, but was met with vehement opposition from left-leaning factions who decried the measure as a discriminatory and unconstitutional assault on Muslim women. 

The bill, which now heads to a parliamentary committee for further debate and potential amendment, has exposed the profound ideological fissures in Portuguese society and signals the growing influence of nationalist politics on the country's legislative agenda.

The vote in the Assembly of the Republic saw the proposal pass with the backing of Chega, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Initiative (IL), and the CDS-People's Party, as reported by The Portugal News (TPN) and Portugal.com.

This right-leaning bloc coalesced around a set of arguments that framed the ban as a necessary step to protect public safety, ensure proper identification, promote social integration, and, most prominently, defend women's rights.

The Socialist Party (PS), Livre, the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), and the Left Bloc (BE) voted firmly against the measure, while the JPP and PAN parties abstained from the vote.

The bill's passage through this initial parliamentary stage, though not final, marks a significant victory for Chega, which has successfully placed a highly sensitive cultural and religious issue at the center of national political discourse.

Proponents of the ban have articulated a multi-pronged justification for the legislation. During the parliamentary debate, Chega’s leadership argued that the measure was essential to protect women from coercion, contending that a woman forced to wear a burqa loses her autonomy and becomes objectified, according to Portugal.com.

In its formal bill, the party stated that hiding the face subjects individuals, especially women, "to situations of exclusion and inferiority" and was fundamentally incompatible with principles of "liberty, equality and human dignity," The Guardian reported.

The leader of Chega also insisted that immigrants and others arriving in Portugal must adhere to Portuguese social norms, which include the requirement that faces remain visible in public. This sentiment was echoed by members of the supporting parties, who voiced concerns about public order and upheld the principle that no tradition or imposition should be allowed to silence a person’s visible presence in society.

"This initiative is used solely to target foreigners, those who have a different faith."

The PSD, while expressing its "willingness to pursue this path," signaled that the bill was not perfect, arguing that "the proposed text can and should be improved in a specialised hearing," according to TPN.

The opposition, however, mounted a robust and passionate defense of constitutional freedoms and minority rights, accusing the bill's sponsors of targeting a specific religious group for political gain.

Lawmakers from the left warned of the severe risks of discrimination, the violation of religious freedom, and the potential for the further stigmatization of Portugal's Muslim communities.

Pedro Delgado Alves, a lawmaker from the center-left Socialist party, was unequivocal in his criticism, telling The Guardian, "This initiative is used solely to target foreigners, those who have a different faith."

While he acknowledged that no woman should ever be forced to wear a veil, he asserted that the far-right party’s approach was fundamentally wrong. The PS also cautioned that crafting such sensitive laws demands immense care, especially when elements of far-right rhetoric might single out and unfairly target a minority group, Portugal.com reported.

Other opposition parties leveled even sharper critiques.

The BE argued that the measure directly undermines the constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, conscience, and individual liberty. The PCP questioned whether the issue of face veils truly represents a significant social problem in Portugal, warning that the debate itself was being used to spread hatred toward Muslim women. In a strategic accusation, the Livre party accused Chega of deliberately submitting a poorly drafted proposal as a political trap designed to ensnare dissenters. 

These arguments collectively portray the bill not as a genuine effort to solve a societal issue—The Guardian notes that very few women in Portugal actually wear such coverings—but as a symbolic and inflammatory piece of legislation aimed at mobilizing a nationalist base.

If it ultimately becomes law, the bill would carry significant penalties. It stipulates that individuals found wearing face veils in public would be subject to fines ranging from €200 to €4,000, a detail confirmed by all three reporting outlets. The proposed law forbids garments intended to hide or obstruct the view of one's face in public settings.

However, it is expected to include a number of exceptions. According to Portugal.com, these would allow for face coverings for health, safety, cultural, or religious reasons under specific, defined circumstances. A more specific list of exceptions reported by The Guardian includes airplanes, diplomatic premises, and designated places of worship.

The bill's journey is not yet complete. Its next crucial step is a detailed discussion in the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees, where it will be subject to further examination and possible amendment. Should it pass this stage and receive final approval from the full parliament, it will face its ultimate test at the desk of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

As noted by The Guardian, the president holds the power to sign the bill into law, veto it entirely, or send it to the country's constitutional court for a review of its legality, a path that opponents of the ban are likely to advocate for.

In pursuing this legislation, Portugal is treading a path already well-worn by a number of other European nations. Over the past 15 years, a wave of similar bans has swept across the continent, each reflecting a complex interplay of security concerns, secularist principles, and nationalist sentiment.

According to a comprehensive overview by Portugal.com, France became the first European country to introduce a national ban on full-face coverings in 2011. Belgium had passed similar legislation even earlier, in 2010, prohibiting any clothing that obscures a person's identity.

Bulgaria followed suit in 2016, citing public security concerns, while Austria adopted its own ban in 2017. A Danish law forbidding face coverings in public spaces took effect in 2018. The Netherlands approved a more targeted partial ban in 2012, which applies specifically to public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and public transport, with Norway passing a similar ban for educational institutions in the same year.

Most recently, Switzerland adopted a nationwide ban effective January 2025, following a narrow victory in a 2021 referendum. This broader European context demonstrates a clear and persistent trend of legislative action against full-face veils, a trend that Portugal now appears poised to join.

The approval of the bill in Lisbon represents a watershed moment, highlighting the mainstreaming of far-right political agendas and forcing a national reckoning on the delicate balance between state security, individual liberty, and the principles of a multicultural society.

While proponents champion the law as a defense of Western values and female emancipation, opponents see it as a thinly veiled act of intolerance that punishes a small and visible minority for the political posturing of a populist party.

As the bill continues its uncertain path through the legislative process, the debate it has ignited is set to resonate deeply, testing the limits of Portugal's commitment to both its constitutional freedoms and its evolving sense of national identity in an increasingly diverse Europe.