Minister makes her debut in Parliament to debate RASI

Parliament will discuss this Wednesday the 2024 Annual Internal Security Report, marked by the elimination of a chapter on extremism , in a debate that will feature the first intervention in plenary by the new Minister of Internal Administration, Maria Lúcia Amaral.

The debate, which will be the second point on the agenda of this afternoon's plenary session, will be attended by Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral , an executive source confirmed to Lusa.

The Government has five minutes to open the debate, followed by interventions from the parties in decreasing order of parliamentary representation, in a planned period of 31 minutes.

Maria Lúcia Amaral took office on June 5th – two months after the delivery of the RASI – as one of the new faces of the XXV Constitutional Government and will have the task of providing clarifications to parliament about the report presented by her predecessor Margarida Blasco, one of the most contested ministers of the previous executive .

The assessment of the 2024 Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) in the Assembly of the Republic will take place almost three months after its presentation – still in the previous legislature – which was marked by the controversial removal of a chapter dedicated to extremist organizations in the final version .

The issue was raised by the Left Bloc, which, on April 2, questioned the executive about why the version that was presented at the meeting of the Superior Council for Internal Security, on Monday, is different from the version that was sent to parliament.

The RASI document sent to parliament, and available online on the Government's website, does not include pages 35 to 39 that were in the initial version, referring to the chapter “extremism and hybrid threats” , and which warned of the existence of a representation of an international extremist organization in Portugal, classified in several countries as a terrorist organization.

The Internal Security System (SSI) admitted that there was a “working version” of the Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) that included information on extremist organizations, different from the “official version” presented at the meeting. In its response to the Bloco de Esquerda members, the Government, through the Prime Minister’s office, admitted that it was concerned about extremist movements.

On the left, criticism of the removal of this paragraph was consensual , with the BE, with the support of the PS, PCP and Livre, requesting that the report be discussed in the previous legislature, after the dissolution, in a meeting of the parliament's permanent committee – an intention rejected by the PSD, CDS and Chega at a leaders' conference.

This rejection was strongly criticized by the three parties, who accused the PSD, CDS-PP and Chega of having “security on their lips” but not wanting to debate it in parliament.

Recently, this issue has been debated again following several attacks associated with far-right groups, with the PCP and BE having already asked the executive to rectify the absence of these threats in the final version of the 2024 National Internal Security Report (RASI).

The sole PAN deputy, Inês de Sousa Real, regretted, in the previous legislature, that the RASI data revealed an increase in the number of violations, calling for a commitment between the parties to combat this issue.

On the right, Chega promised in April to present a proposal for a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the data from the Internal Security Report (RASI), considering them to be wrong.

IL considered that there is a “worrying trend” in aspects such as violent and serious crime or juvenile delinquency, and will, in the context of this afternoon's debate, submit a proposal to parliament so that RASI includes data relating to the nationality and country of origin of the perpetrators of crimes , the party told Lusa.