The leader of the Chega party formally received support for his presidential candidacy this Thursday.
At a press conference, André Ventura expressed feeling “honored” by Chega’s backing, emphasizing that a fundamental goal in this election is mobilizing voters who have shown trust in the party.
“Awakening the country is the primary objective of this candidacy,” he declared, asserting that this is “the only truly patriotic candidacy we will have until January”, advocating the necessity for their political positioning to be represented in the elections.
Additionally, the party aims to win the first round of presidential elections in January and then “either win the second round or achieve the most significant result possible, demonstrating the party’s support base,” referencing Chega’s electorate.
They aim to demonstrate that “this movement to awaken the country […] is alive, strong, and is today a powerful political movement in Portugal. The growth the party has experienced will now manifest in a major movement that will take us, at the very least, to the second round of these elections.”
Ventura emphasized support for “security forces, those abandoned, like in the cases of wildfires, by political power; those who feel shattered by the corruption-ridden country; those who feel the country is no longer theirs; and those who feel almost like foreigners in their own country. It is on behalf of all these people that this presidential candidacy proceeds,” he stated.
André Ventura further asserted he has “everything, absolutely everything, to pass into the second round and potentially win these elections”: “we have all the conditions for an excellent result,” he argued.
“I’m not entering the elections with the guarantee or fear of not achieving the legislative results. I want to reach that result, I will fight to surpass it, but I will accept the verdict,” he added.
Addressing criticism after the local elections, where it was suggested that Chega relied on André Ventura for good results, the candidate for Belém dismissed the notion. He defended that alone he “does not campaign,” “is not a politician,” and “does not lead either the country or the party.”
