propose a new law toughening the rules for foreigners to get Portuguese nationality, officials said. A first vote on the law was to be held in parliament later Tuesday following the accord with the far-right Chega party.

The law will notably extend the time required to acquire Portuguese nationality, said Hugo Soares, head of the governing coalition in parliament. "Portugal today joins the group of European countries where it will be more difficult to obtain nationality," said Chega leader Andre Ventura. He said both sides had made "concessions" during months of talks. Chega became the main opposition party in parliament following elections in May last year after which centre-right leader Luis Montenegro returned as prime minister but without a governing majority. Chega has aggressively campaigned against immigration, seizing on figures that said at the end of 2024 there were more than 1.5 million foreigners in Portugal, nearly four times more than in 2017 and making up about 15 percent of the population. (Bssnews)