The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, refused on Thursday to comment on a post by Chega leader André Ventura, who accused him of attending a “hamburger festival” in Germany when he was actually going to a Citizens’ Festival.
“I saw [Ventura’s accusation] and I think all Portuguese people saw it, but I will not comment,” he stated.
He explained: “I will not comment for a very simple reason. When I am abroad, I speak about the good things of Portugal. I do not criticize. I do not go abroad to criticize Portugal. Abroad, I only comment on good things.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized that “the President of the Republic, in representation of the Republic, has to travel a lot, as does the prime minister.”
The controversy revolves around a social media post by André Ventura, now deleted, where he accused the head of state of traveling to Germany to attend a hamburger festival, referring to the Bürgerfest initiative, which is actually a Citizens’ Festival in Berlin.
“The Parliament approved the President’s trip to Germany to attend a hamburger festival. At the expense of our taxes. Do you think this is normal? Don’t the Portuguese revolt?” read a message by the Chega party president on the social network X.
In a video posted on Instagram, holding a document in hand, André Ventura makes the same accusation, referring to the Bürgerfest as a “hamburger festival,” when in fact it is a Citizens’ Festival, held in the gardens of the presidential palace in Berlin.
“Chega voted against it, as is evident. This is an outrage. But do you know why this goes through, why things like this happen? Because you do not know this. You do not revolt because you do not know,” added André Ventura.
The Chega president accused the head of state of traveling to Germany for a hamburger festival, referring to the Bürgerfest initiative, which in reality is a Citizens’ Festival in Berlin.
After controversial accusation, Ventura defends himself: “I have lapses like everyone else does”
On Thursday, André Ventura admitted to making a “lapse” when confusing the Bürgerfest with a “hamburger festival.” Nevertheless, he claimed that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has been “king in absolutely unnecessary trips.”
“I have lapses like everyone else does. And when I have a lapse—as I had the opportunity to see yesterday, and to correct it—this lapse derives from the fact that the President of the Republic has been king and master in absolutely unnecessary trips at taxpayers’ expense,” explained André Ventura to journalists, on the sidelines of a visit to Agroglobal, in Santarém.
“This mistake is because the President of the Republic has done what none has done, which is to multiply in trips at the expense of taxpayers, paid by our wages,” he stated.
What is the Bürgerfest after all?
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that the President of the Republic would make an official visit to Germany from September 11 to 13, at the invitation of his German counterpart, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
According to a note from the website of the Presidency of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa “will be received at Bellevue Palace, where there will be a working meeting between the two Heads of State, and will be present at the ‘Bürgerfest’ – ‘Citizens’ Festival.'”
The Citizens’ Festival, the note explains, is held “annually in the gardens of the federal president’s official residence, to honor volunteer work and promote civic involvement of citizens,” and “Portugal participates in this festival as a guest country.”
