The former Socialist deputy, Sérgio Sousa Pinto, stated on Friday that voters of the Chega party “do not believe in the miraculous solutions of André Ventura,” but rather intend “to punish those they identify as responsible for a hard life.”
“Chega has a primary and demagogic discourse, but this does not seem to bother the voters. […] I think people do not believe in the miraculous solutions of André Ventura. People want to punish those they identify as responsible for a life that is hard, no longer in that era when hardness had a name: austerity. Now, no one calls what we are living austerity. We have to find a new name for this, because life continues to be very hard. I suggest calling it the irremediable mediocrity of existences, of people, of lives. This generates a malaise, a revolt against life, against the system,” he said in statements to CNN Portugal.
Sérgio Sousa Pinto further argued that “democracies – here, in France, in the United Kingdom – are under stress because economic performance has been very unsatisfactory for 20 years, due to a succession of crises.”
In this line, presidential candidates “more distanced […] from what people generally identify as the system,” such as Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, or even André Ventura, “enjoy a kind of prize.”
“Sometimes, the electorate is not driven by constructive urges, it is also driven by destructive urges,” he added.
Still, the socialist noted not knowing if a possible entry of the Chega leader into the race for Belém would “turn the board,” recommending that some time pass to understand what is truly happening and what is the relative weight of each candidacy.
“There is a great disorganization of the Portuguese political map and we can only reflect based on the past. As the past is profoundly altered by the circumstances we are living in, perhaps, at this stage, it does not make much sense to speculate about something that is absolutely impossible to anticipate,” he said.
The president of Chega today stated that the party is “destined to govern” and “closer than ever” to that goal, in a comment on a barometer that places this political force leading in voting intentions.
The commentator also recalled that “the candidacy of João Cotrim de Figueiredo is also disruptive,” as it “challenges the system at its foundations.”
“It does not challenge the system in the terms that André Ventura does, [but] says [that] we are within a paradigm that no longer works, we need to unleash the forces of the economy, because we only get out of here either with more taxes – which is not possible – or with austerity – which people can no longer endure – or with economic growth, and the way out is economic growth,” he said.
He complemented: “There is coherence, it is needed, and it is a strong line. It enriches the debate. There is this idea that the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party are different in aspects that are not central to what can truly impact our lives.”
Ventura a step away from Belém? “If you want, and understand that I should go, here I will be”
The president of Chega expressed willingness to run again for President of the Republic on Friday, although he does not believe it is the “ideal” solution.
“If you want, and understand that I should go, here I will be. If you understand that I should not go, here I will be. If you understand that another or another, and, who should go, here I will also be, as the one who best represents you,” he said during the opening speech of the National Council in Lisbon.
André Ventura took the opportunity to attack the candidates who have already announced they are running for the Palácio de Belém, notably Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Luís Marques Mendes, and António José Seguro.
He even said to have considered supporting the admiral but has since backed away. Additionally, he refused to support the former leaders of PSD and PS, asserting that he would leave the leadership of Chega if the party decided to endorse those candidacies.
It should be noted that before the early legislative elections, the president of Chega had announced the intention to run for President of the Republic. However, he has distanced himself from that possibility after the party became the second-largest force in Parliament.
André Ventura was a candidate for President of the Republic in 2021, the year Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected for a second presidential term. He finished third, behind Ana Gomes, with 11.90% of the votes.
For the first time, Chega surpasses AD in polls
For the first time in any poll, Chega surpassed AD, led by Luís Montenegro, in the voting intentions of the DN/Aximage Barometer of September.
After the distribution of the 4.9% who said they were undecided, André Ventura’s party received the support of 26.8% of the respondents, representing a 4% increase from the 22.76% obtained in the legislative elections of May 18.
The AD, on the other hand, appeared in the preferences of 25.9% of the respondents, translating into a drop from the 31.21% registered in the last elections.
Meanwhile, the PS secured 23.6% of the voting intentions, slightly above the last suffrage’s result (22.83%).
The survey noted, however, that the three parties are in a technical tie, given the margin of error is 4.1%.
