The legislation in question was tabled by the minority Socialist government, approved in parliament, and promulgated on Monday by Portugal’s president, Marcel Rebelo de Sousa.

The Communists’ leader in parliament, João Oliveira, and Jorge Costa of the BE told journalists on Tuesday of their intention to ask the judges to undertake successive review of the legislation.

This form of review can be requested by at least one 10th of members of parliament, as well as by the president himself, the speaker of parliament, the prime minister, the justice ombudsman, the attorney-general or, when a breach of the autonomous regions’ rights is at stake, their representatives. Once a request has been received by the court’s secretariat, it is presented within five days to the institution’s president, who then has 10 days in which to decide whether it should be admitted.