André Ventura delivered a speech this evening at the commencement of a dinner-rally in Bragança, the only district where Chega failed to elect deputies in the last parliamentary elections.
The Chega leader criticized the selection of former Secretary of State Hernâni Dias as the lead candidate for the AD – PSD/CDS Coalition, describing it as “shameful.” He noted that the Prime Minister saw it “imprudent and wrong [for the former official] to be in the government but considered it valuable to place him as the lead candidate.”
“I ask Luís Montenegro if this is what fighting corruption looks like, if this is combating collusion and shady deals, by placing Hernâni Dias as the lead candidate in Bragança,” he stated.
He further questioned, “can anyone believe that Luís Montenegro will clean up corruption in Portugal when he removes someone from being Secretary of State because they are unfit, break rules, engage in deals they should not have made, but behind the scenes, for political favors, places them as the head of the list.”
“It’s a Prime Minister who doesn’t want to fight corruption, never did,” he accused.
André Ventura stated that “it’s the hand of the system that takes from one side and gives to the other, and Luís Montenegro has always been adept at doing so.”
Hernâni Dias resigned from his position as Secretary of State for Local Administration and Territorial Planning at the end of January, following reports by RTP that he had established two real estate companies during his term and while being responsible for the decree that amends the Legal Regime of Territorial Management Instruments, the so-called land law.
At the time, Luís Montenegro stated that the former Secretary of State had committed “an imprudence.”
In his speech tonight, the Chega president also addressed protests by members of the Roma community at party events, which occurred over three consecutive days, and commented on news that Ventura faced two criminal complaints for videos of alleged “racist content” on social media against these individuals.
“I am completely convinced of what I have said, of what I say, and I am fully convinced of the message we must deliver. In Portugal, no one is less than another for being Roma, but neither can they be above the law for being Roma, nor have rights others don’t have for being Roma,” he stated.
André Ventura emphasized that a demonstration must follow certain rules, such as prior notification, and questioned the Ministry of Internal Administration why “they protest, spit, attack, insult, and no one intervenes.”
“I want to ask the Minister of Internal Administration if we live in a state of law or if we live in a state of law for some and the Roma can do what they want,” he added.
Before an audience of nearly 200 people, the Chega leader also accused the Prime Minister and the PSD of betraying the Portuguese public by not supporting the removal of tolls on former SCUT roads and pretending “to care about the interior.”
“They accuse us of having made negative coalitions because of the tolls. Mr. Prime Minister, our only coalition is with the Portuguese people, who are tired of paying tolls that benefit no one,” he asserted.
In the only district where the party did not win in 2024, André Ventura called for a “great result” and considered it “symbolic” this time.
In statements to journalists, the Chega leader was asked about governance scenarios and said that “if the PS has a few more percentage points, and Chega and the PSD, led by Chega, are ahead, they won’t govern unless the PSD backs down.”
“The PS will only govern if we let them. On my part, I will not allow it,” he stated.
“The Prime Minister himself said that if Chega surpasses the AD and if he doesn’t win, he will leave. This means we will have conditions to create a stable government. As long as we have Montenegro, for political reasons and reasons of his own, we will not have stability,” he also contended.
