From
Correio da Manhã:
http://www.correiomanha.pt/noticia.asp?id=223014&idselect=90&idCanal=90&p=200
During the speech of December 1st, which lasted nearly 15 minutes, D. Duarte Pio criticized the Portuguese democracy, which he considers to be "a fraud", because the current law of referendum allows "the Portuguese people to pronounce themselves about a series of subjects, except about the nature of the regime itself". This way, the Duke of Bragança criticised the article 288 b) of the Constitution, which conditions the constitutional revision "to respect the republican form of government". About the referendum on the abortion that is scheduled for Januray, D. Duarte will vote for "no", claiming that "the legalization of the death as a solution for an economic and social problem" is not acceptable.
Day November 30th 2006 will be remembered by D. Afonso as the beginning of his official activities, as Crownprince. Smiling, good-spirited and conscientious of the responsibilities involved in the occasion, the little prince entered the room accompanied by his father, D. Duarte, and hand in hand with his mother, D.ª Isabel de Herédia. D. Afonso de Santa Maria João Miguel Gabriel Rafael Herédia de Bragança was born on March 23rd 1996 and is now ten years old. In school, D. Afonso "is an enthusiastic student of Maritime Biology", as his father explained, considering that "it is a good way of earning one's life" in the future.
D. Afonso received a fencing glove from the hands of the president of the Royal Association of Lisbon's Monarchic Youth (RAL). Joel Moedas Miguel explained the symbology of the act: "Traditionally, the defense of the king was made with a sword. The glove that supports the sword symbolizes the qualities of perseverance and dexterity" that the heir to the throne of Portugal must have present and develop in the course of his life, as a representative of the Portuguese Royal House, both inside the Country and abroad.
D. Duarte supported that, in Democracy, referendums should be as easy to convoke as frequent, and listed as examples the referendums about the construction of a new airport or about the construction of the intercontinental airport in Lisbon or Oporto. In his understanding, politicians believe that the People is not prepared to give its opinion on these subjects.
http://dn.sapo.pt/2006/12/02/nacional/monarquicos_entram_campanha_tomar_po.html
The Royal Cause convoked all the Royal Associations to congregate the 5000 signatures necessary to form a Group of Voting Citizens and thus to have right to have their campaign for the referendum on the abortion aired on mass media. But, in contrast to the generality of the participants, the monarchic movement will not advise a vote for "yes" or "no", but will present the clarifications and arguments for each part of the proposals. The ideia was set during the traditional Dinner of the Conjurors and the justification for this model is simple: "There are monarchists in favor of 'yes' and monarchists in favor of 'not'".
