“We want to end Isaltino’s term and the term of corruption, which is what we need,” declared the leader of Chega during a campaign event in Oeiras, accompanied by the party’s candidate for the municipality, Pedro Frazão.
Refraining from quantifying municipal goals in this area, André Ventura noted that Chega has been “growing a lot across the country” and thus aims for “a great result” in Oeiras, in the district of Lisbon.
“If we can be that symbol of the fight against corruption, we want to be. People shouldn’t think ‘steals, but delivers.’ That is not a good sign for democracy,” he stated, before being interrupted by a comment from Frazão.
“I deliver and don’t steal,” pointed out the candidate, before the party leader asserted that “the thief’s place is in prison.”
Ventura and Frazão referred to the fact that the current mayor of Oeiras was sentenced in 2013 to two years in prison for tax fraud and money laundering.
Asked to explain why the voters of Oeiras vote for Isaltino Morais, the Chega leader considered that “sometimes” it is necessary “to fight until corruption is eliminated and until corruption is defeated.”
“It’s a fight that parties like ours have to wage, and not just in Oeiras,” he added.
For Ventura, it is time to start “telling politicians that they can deliver and not steal.”
Regarding the exchange of accusations he had with the mayor of Oeiras on social media two weeks ago, the Chega president said he will only speak to Isaltino Morais “on the day he goes to prison again.”
Bidding farewell to supporters who accompanied him in the march in the parish of Algés, on the seventh day of the campaign for the local elections, André Ventura reiterated the desire to “liberate and cleanse Oeiras,” believing that the party and Pedro Frazão will manage to change “a municipality that is difficult and has the vices it has.”
“This cleansing shows that where it is difficult, we still gain more strength to clean them,” he concluded.
The leader, however, refrained from setting concrete goals on the national level, only anticipating “a great national victory” for Chega in Sunday’s local elections.
“We will manage to show that it is possible to do politics at the local level without corruption, without cronyism,” he concluded.
