“There will be time for that,” said André Ventura regarding the selection of a new Ombudsman, following Maria Lúcia Amaral’s move to the Ministry of Internal Administration.
Maria Lúcia Amaral has been chosen by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro to replace Margarida Blasco at the Ministry of Internal Administration.
The appointment of a new Ombudsman must occur by July 4 and requires a two-thirds majority in the Assembly of the Republic, as reported.
In Santarém, where he visited the National Agriculture Fair, André Ventura expressed confidence that there is time “for a discussion among parties on this matter, and naturally, a broad vote in the Assembly is necessary.”
Chega will not be excluded from this, Ventura added, but asserted, “positions do not motivate us,” emphasizing he is not “concerned about this at the moment.”
The party leader also justified submitting a draft law to revoke Portuguese nationality from those who obtained it through naturalization and commit serious crimes or incite “hatred or humiliation of the nation,” claiming that “Portuguese nationality is being commercialized.”
This type of draft law was previously presented by Chega in 2021, when André Ventura was the sole deputy, but it was not admitted by the Assembly of the Republic after the Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees Committee considered it unconstitutional, as it violated fundamental legal principles such as equal treatment or the prevention of any punishment resulting in the loss of civil, professional, or political rights.
“In Portugal, we have become accustomed to the Constitution being used for everything: they don’t want to give life sentences to terrorists, Constitution; they don’t want to reduce the number of deputies, Constitution; now, they don’t want to revoke the nationality of those who commit crimes, Constitution.”
Ventura, believing that the draft law “can be approved [without constitutional amendment] if there is a will,” nonetheless made an appeal to the Prime Minister.
“The country is changing, the world is changing. If the Constitution is blocking everything we want to do, from reducing deputies to increasing sentences to fighting corruption, let’s change the Constitution,” he said.
André Ventura spoke in Santarém during a visit to the National Agriculture Fair / Ribatejo Fair, ongoing at the National Exhibition Center until Sunday.
