LISBON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa vetoed on Tuesday the amendments to the law on the financing of political parties, according to a statement posted on the website of the president.
The statement said that Rebelo de Sousa decided to return, without promulgation, the draft of the parliament concerning party financing, "based on the absence of publicly scrutinizing the change introduced in the mode of financing of political parties."
The presidential veto obliges the parliamentarians to two options: either change the amendments to overcome the doubts of the head of state or confirm the law with a broad majority of two-thirds in the parliament, it said.
Rebelo de Sousa proposed on Dec. 27 that Prime Minister Antonio Costa and his fellow parliamentarians seek prior approval from the Constitutional Court (TC) before putting new party finance rules into law.
The president was presented with the draft on Dec. 22, one day after it was approved by the parliament in an electronic vote. The Central Social Democratic-Popular Party (CDS-PP) and the PAN (People Animals and Nature Party) voted against the draft law, objecting to the fundraising amendment.
According to the draft law, there will no longer be an upper limit on how much money a party can collect through fundraising initiatives. Furthermore, VAT will be waived on all political party activities.
