The leader of Chega announced on Tuesday that he will not support the motion to reject the government’s program that the PCP will present. In an interview with SIC and SIC Notícias, André Ventura emphasized his focus on being a “responsible opposition” and building a “high-quality shadow government.”
However, he refrained from naming members of this shadow government, choosing to wait for the results of the overseas vote count to determine if Chega has indeed solidified as the second-largest political force in these elections.
Nevertheless, as he wants this shadow government to be “scrutinized,” André Ventura promises to announce it later and assures that it may include independent personalities, including “academics, outsiders, even if they are not from Chega” and “even if they have criticized Chega in the past.”
He justified, “It’s time for a prime minister to show they are not clinging to the party or the interests of the political-party machine […]. To give people a government that they feel, perhaps for the first time, is not made by the ‘boys’ of the machine – by the ‘Medinas,’ by the ‘Carneiros,’ but by people of independent value.”
More than 296,000 votes from Portuguese residents abroad arrived in Lisbon by Monday, according to the National Election Commission (CNE), where the counting of the votes began today. These votes will determine whether it is the PS or Chega that secures second place in these elections.
In this interview, the Chega leader expressed confidence in the results, hoping they confirm him as “leader of the opposition and the second political force,” but he vows to be a “responsible opposition” and dismisses the possibility of a new crisis.
“I don’t want to be an irresponsible leader, and so no, we will not vote in favor of the PCP’s motion of rejection, we will not plunge the country into another political crisis, the country is tired of political crises, the country now needs stability,” he admitted.
Ventura acknowledges wanting to influence the country’s trajectory but believes he should interpret the results: “When you are the second political force, what the Portuguese are asking for is to be an alternative, not a crutch.”
“That doesn’t mean that Chega will either block everything or approve everything,” he explained. “Where the bills are good, we should approve, where the bills are bad, we should criticize.”
Marques Mendes? “Represents the worst the system has”
Regarding the presidential elections, André Ventura assured that as long as he is president of Chega, he will never support Luís Marques Mendes in the race for Belém. In his view, the former commentator “represents the worst that the system has in terms of apparatus, careerism, and in terms of connections to the central system of interests.”
“I want a candidate who is strong, independent, who stands above party interests,” Ventura enumerated.
The leader of Chega did not rule out supporting Gouveia e Melo, but he warned that the candidate he supports “must be a name that fights against corruption, against the installed system of interests, against uncontrolled immigration, and be able to tackle the central system of interests between PS and PSD.”
“It is less likely now that I will run. Chega has cadres, it has people… We will also see who steps forward since the presidential elections are a personal candidacy. We will see, there is still some time until then,” he stated.
