What happens next

Today, the Assembly of the Republic (Parliament) voted article by article — approving several of the proposed changes individually.

This stage is called the “votação na especialidade” — the specialty vote or article-by-article vote.
It’s where MPs debate and approve or amend each clause one by one.
So: some parts passed, some may have been changed, and some may still be contested.

Now the proposal must face what’s called the “votação final global” — the final overall vote, scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
This is when Parliament doesn’t look at the law piece by piece, but as a whole body — the full, revised proposal after all the individual votes.

At this stage:

The entire text (with all amendments) is voted as one package.
It must receive an absolute majority of votes — at least 116 votes in favor (out of 230 deputies).
If it gets those votes → the law passes and is sent to the President of the Republic for promulgation (signature).
If it fails → the whole proposal falls, even if most individual articles had been approved earlier.

What’s politically happening (the Chega party’s move)

You also noticed that Chega, led by André Ventura, reversed a previous “red line.”

Earlier, Chega had demanded that loss of nationality be automatic for certain serious crimes — a hardline stance.
Today, they voted in favor of the government’s proposal despite previously saying they wouldn’t — showing a political pivot, likely to secure some amendments they wanted or to influence the final package.

Their change of position matters because:

It could shift the balance of votes for the final approval.
It also shows a rare moment of convergence between the government (usually center-left or centrist) and the far-right opposition on some points of nationality law.

What the “final global vote” will decide

When the Assembly votes on October 28 (2025):

If ≥ 116 votes in favor, the entire proposal passes → the amended Nationality Law moves to the President for promulgation.
If < 116 votes, the proposal fails → all the approved articles are nullified; they do not become law.
(They could be reintroduced in a new draft later, but the current legislative process would end.)

This is why journalists say: “It has to be approved as a whole.”
The final vote is the seal — the Parliament saying “yes, this text, in its entirety, is the law we want.”

In a way, this is democracy’s heartbeat:
first the details, then the dream.
Each article is a note — debated, tuned, and argued —
but the melody only becomes law when the whole orchestra says “yes.”

The October 28 vote will be that final crescendo.
If the government holds its coalition and allies, the new nationality law will pass.
If not — the music pauses, and the debate begins anew.

What has been approved / modified so far

The government’s proposal has been debated article-by‐article in the committee stage (votação na especialidade) and several amendments by parties such as Chega and Partido Socialista (PS) have been accepted (or at least included for debate).
There is a clear move to extend the required period of legal residence to qualify for citizenship by naturalisation: for example, proposals suggest seven years for nationals of Portuguese‐speaking countries (CPLP) and ten years for others.
The possibility of revoking Portuguese nationality from naturalised citizens convicted of serious crimes (with specific thresholds) has been raised and included in the debate.
For the reform to pass in full, the final global vote will require an absolute majority (at least 116 votes in favour) in the Assembly of the Republic.

What is still pending / not final

Although many articles have been approved in the committee, the final package (the law in its entirety) still must be voted on (votação final global), meaning all parts must pass together for the law to take effect.
It is unclear exactly how the transitional provisions will apply (for example, to those already in process under the old rules). Some reports indicate grandfathering clauses are being discussed.
Because the full text with amendments and final Senate/Assembly votes is not yet fully published in detailed form in many sources, exact vote counts per article are not widely available yet.

Implications

If you are a foreign national considering applying for Portuguese nationality under the older (current) regime, these changes mean that timing is important: the longer residence periods and stricter requirements may apply to you depending on when the law enters into force and how transitional rules are set.
If the final vote fails, the reform as a package will not pass and the older rules remain until another proposal is approved.
For those already in Portugal, or with pending applications, monitoring the exact wording of the law and the transitional clauses is crucial.

What moved today (committee stage)

The revision of the Nationality Law passed “in specialty” (article-by-article) in the Constitutional Affairs Committee. It still needs the final global vote in plenary.
Sanction of loss of nationality (for specific serious crimes, bounded in time) was approved in committee. Details indicate it would apply only to acts within a limited post-naturalization window.

Party positions today (signals for the final vote)

PSD/CDS: shepherded the government text through committee; backed the specialty approvals.
CHEGA: supported some points in specialty but did not give a blanket yes to the final package; Ventura left the plenary vote open/uncertain.
PS (and BE/PCP): publicly against the overall process/package at this stage.

What we don’t have (and why)

Per-article roll-call by party from today’s committee sitting isn’t posted on the Assembly site yet (committee agendas/notes exist, but no detailed vote matrix). Media reports confirm outcomes, not line-item tallies. I checked the Agenda/Committee pages and found the meeting entry, but not vote tables.

What this means for Tuesday’s final global vote

The whole revised text must pass as one package with ≥116 votes in plenary. Today’s specialty approvals do not guarantee that. Current reporting says majority is not yet locked.