308-A/75 of 24 June 1975 on the former territories Decree-Law 308/75 of 24 June 1975 was a response to the loss of Portuguese citizenship by many people born in former territories of Portugal in Africa and elsewhere that had acquired independence. It maintained Portuguese citizenship for persons who had not been born in those territories but were now living there, and those who maintained a connection with Portugal itself by long-term residence. The legislation was the source of confusion and object of criticism, for, among other reasons, its inherent removal of citizenship from some persons and its path to statelessness for others. Decree-Law 37/81 of 3 October 1981 Versions of the still current Decree-Law 37/81 of 3 October 1981 as amended at any date up to the present are available by entering the date in the official Portuguese legislation Web site. The Portuguese Constitution of 1976 introduced the principles of non-discrimination on the basis of sex and marital status of parents at birth, and a fundamental right to citizenship. The political parties of Portugal agreed that new nationality legislation was required to achieve compatibility with the constitution, and finally approved it in 1981. The 1981 law responded to the dramatic decrease in size of Portugal because of decolonisation, and the resulting need to increase the number of Portuguese citizens—although notably not attempting to include African and other non-European-origin Portuguese speakers of former Portuguese territories—because of the flow of emigrants leaving Portugal in recent decades (an emigrant population estimated at more than four million) and the desire to retain ties with those emigrants' children and grandchildren as a resource to the Portuguese state. The center-right governing coalition viewed it as very important to create changes that would facilitate Portuguese citizenship for emigrants and their descendants because Portugal had become a small country with widespread emigration and needed to make the best of the situation. Jus sanguinis was still by either expression of intent or registration of birth in the Portuguese civil register, but was modernised to allow it to flow through either a Portuguese mother or father. To help prevent further reduction in Portuguese citizen numbers and to recognise the fundamental citizenship right, citizenship loss could only be accomplished voluntarily, and multiple citizenship was fully tolerated, and renunciation of other citizenships was not required to acquire Portuguese citizenship. Jus soli citizenship, in contrast, was restricted to require expression of intent and