Em statements to journalists before a meeting with his parliamentary group at the Assembly of the Republic, André Ventura was asked about Chega’s negotiating power for the State Budget of 2026 [OE2026], given that the PS has already announced it will endorse the document in general.
“The PS also endorsed the document [OE2025] and the government fell a few months later. This is a political choice, a political path,” warned the leader of Chega, arguing that “it did not yield good results in previous years.”
André Ventura insisted that “Chega does not sell votes” and considered that if the PS “understands that making politics is not even looking at the document and saying it will endorse it, it is a way of doing politics” and it will have to “answer to its voters.”
“I think the voters and supporters of PS are not thankful because when it comes to people’s salaries, when it touches people’s health, when it comes to the fight against corruption, when it touches on fuel prices, we have a party that says ‘do whatever you want, we are in favor’, people ask themselves, then what are they for, then what exactly are they for? If they don’t serve to make our lives better and easier, if they don’t serve to approve measures that benefit us, what are politicians for?” he emphasized.
Ventura deferred the announcement of Chega’s voting intention and lamented that “the AD budgets often seem more like PS budgets.”
“The voting stance will be announced later, but Chega will have a critical approach to this document in some key areas, one of them being the issue of fuels, which is decisive for us, but also the issues related to health and Social Security, where we hope the government can still intervene in order to change something before the general debate begins next week,” he stated.
The president of Chega said there is “no permanent contact bridge” with the government but indicated that he expects the executive to be open to negotiating the OE2026.
Ventura revealed that the party is preparing “hundreds of amendment proposals.” Chega wants a permanent increase in pensions and “cuts in subsidies,” and rejects increases in fuel prices.
“We are not proposing anything to the government that will destroy the budget or massively increase public debt. We are proposing sensible measures that, moreover, had already been pre-agreed within the context of a certain rapprochement that occurred when, for example, we decided to lower the IRS for those who earn less, which was a proposal from Chega, and a path was already paved here.”
“I hope that path continues and that the government, as the PS changed position or anticipated a position, forgets everything it promised people. I do not think that is a good political signal, it was seen last year that it is not a good political sign,” he argued.
André Ventura also commented on the PS proposal that the extra balance in the Social Security budget be used to permanently increase the lowest pensions.
“The PS says it will use the balance to increase the level of pensions, but it does not tell us what that increase is intended to be, it does not tell us what impact that would have on the budget balance of Social Security,” he criticized.
