The president of the Chega party, André Ventura, announced on Tuesday his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic.
“I will be a candidate in the 2026 presidential elections. I will be a candidate because, under the circumstances imposed upon us, we have no choice but to defeat the system in these elections as well,” he announced during a press conference at Chega’s headquarters in Lisbon.
In a speech where he assured that he had sought other names to advance for the presidency, Ventura emphasized, “I did not wish to be a candidate.”
“I would have preferred Pedro Passos Coelho to run for President of the Republic,” he admitted, reinforcing: “These presidential elections would not be my desire, but they are the best way to lead the opposition in Portugal.”
Pointing out that the party must “have a voice” in these elections, he stated that Chega “cannot look away,” and quoted Francisco Sá Carneiro: “My entire political life has been and continues to be conducted within what Sá Carneiro said: ‘Politics without risk is boring.'”
Ventura also criticized the current presidential candidates, expressing his desire for a different Portugal “not with the likes of Marques Mendes or Admirals of this life, but with new, different politicians, ones not overwhelmed by the vices intrinsic to the political system.”
[News in update]
