The recently re-elected Mayor of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, described the Chega party’s performance in the local elections as a “resounding defeat”.
“In reality, Chega was crushed in these elections,” Morais stated in an interview, arguing that the party cannot claim a good result based on its set objectives.
“What Chega’s leader actually said was that they would win between 15 to 30 councils. They ended up with three and claim victory?” he questioned.
Morais emphasized that he “never” believed Chega could win any municipalities, expressing his “perplexity” over André Ventura’s bold ambitions in the elections.
He admitted it was possible for Chega to elect more councilors, given its legislative votes, “but council presidencies, I found it hard to believe that could happen.”
Chega successfully elected mayors in São Vicente, Madeira, Albufeira in the Algarve, and Entroncamento in Santarém. The party secured over 600,000 votes, significantly less than the 1.4 million achieved in the legislative elections.
Sunday night’s elections brought surprises, with power shifting mostly to the Social Democrats. However, the PS remained the second most voted party, while Chega fell short of André Ventura’s ambitions.
Isaltino Morais also commented on the upcoming presidential elections, expressing support for Admiral Gouveia e Melo, who he believes “will win comfortably”.
Regarding Ventura’s candidacy, Morais dismissed him, suggesting he wants to be everything from prime minister to president of the Republic, stating, “The objective isn’t that, it’s about media time and spreading his message of disruption without regard for the means.”
“Running for President gives him three extra months on TV every day,” he remarked, adding, “But the local elections didn’t go well for him.”
Morais’ comments follow a campaign exchange where he called Ventura a “monster representing the worst of the system”. Ventura replied, “I am a monster. I am the terror of the corrupt who have been robbing us for years,” targeting Morais, who was convicted in 2009 for tax fraud and money laundering.
