The Chega party is heavily invested in these local elections, with the party president planning to join the campaign soon, offering journalists the opportunity to question him, as confirmed by Pedro Pinto. He refrained from further speculation on the matter.
Pedro Pinto accompanied Bruno Mascarenhas, Chega’s candidate for the Lisbon City Council presidency, during a campaign activity in the Ajuda neighborhood and addressed questions regarding the unexplained absence of the party president on Tuesday and today.
The official highlighted that Chega engages with the public daily, supporting their candidates actively.
“The National Directorate is present here, along with the parliamentary leader, the secretary-general, and several party members. Our focus is on presenting proposals, interacting with people, and being present on the streets,” he stated.
The parliamentary leader and assistant to the National Directorate emphasized that Chega is not a single-person party, asserting it is composed of many experienced people.
“The key in these local elections is to present our proposals,” he remarked, noting that citizens are concerned with rising natural gas prices, the daily increase in fuel costs, and the overall cost of living rather than whether André Ventura is campaigning.
The press office announced that the leader would also miss today’s morning initiative in Lisbon. Meanwhile, André Ventura’s agenda for the next two days includes activities in Alentejo and Algarve, with no further actions planned for today.
Pedro Pinto, Chega’s candidate for Faro City Council, is set to head to the Algarve for his electoral campaign.
Pedro Pinto argued that only three parties have the potential to win elections nationwide.
“No one should think that votes cast outside PS, PSD, or Chega will bring any benefit to them,” he claimed.
“Other parties might win a few municipalities, but these three will shape local politics over the next four years,” he continued.
Pedro Pinto stressed that Portuguese citizens have a choice to either maintain the status quo of the past 50 years or opt for genuine change and reform.
“The only option for change is with Chega; there is no plan B. Either continue with the same choices as the last 50 years or choose change and disruption by voting for Chega,” he urged.
On Tuesday, contrary to the plan, André Ventura did not participate in the scheduled event, a public walk in the Sintra district. The event featured Rita Matias, candidate for City Council, and Pedro Pinto.
André Ventura was also absent from that morning’s parliamentary session.
When asked about this absence, Rita Matias explained that the party leader was engaged in “essential and indispensable” tasks, without further clarification.
At that time, Pedro Pinto added that “André Ventura is on his path, where he needs to be, working for the country, and that is what matters most.”
