André Ventura spoke to journalists at the Assembly of the Republic before participating in a meeting of the Chega Parliamentary Group, following questions on how he plans to facilitate the election of the new Ombudsman or judges for the Constitutional Court—positions requiring a two-thirds approval of the 230 deputies.
The leader of Chega downplayed the issue, stating that so far he has “done nothing” about it and commented on a report indicating that José Luís Carneiro seeks a comprehensive agreement with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro regarding roles in state bodies.
“I don’t know what the Prime Minister will do, I haven’t wasted a minute, but this clearly shows the identity and nature of the PS. I’m perplexed when a leader [José Luís Carneiro], who hasn’t even been elected yet, focuses not on political measures, the State Budget, or Justice reform, but on state positions. I question how parties can sink so low, while already being low, yet manage to deteriorate even further in the eyes of the citizens,” he stated.
According to André Ventura, Chega will meet its responsibilities given its representativeness.
“However, up to this moment, without any mental reservation, I haven’t made a call or spoken to anyone with that in mind. The Government knows when to contact us, but we will not be seeking agreements for state positions. We leave that to PS and PSD, who are specialists,” he said.
When asked if Chega will step away from this process, André Ventura rejected that view, insisting he will apply no pressure on the matter.
“If the PSD decides to comply with the law, we will be here to ensure compliance and assume our responsibility. But I will not do what José Luís Carneiro is doing, which is begging,” he declared.
On the government’s intention to lower IRS this year, Chega’s leader responded: “If the government presents—a proposal of ours—a reduction in IRC and a decrease or relief in IRS brackets, it knows it can count on us,” he affirmed.
Confronted with suspicions regarding Manuel Matias, father of Chega MP Rita Matias, and his alleged connection to a neo-Nazi group dismantled by PJ, Ventura downplayed the situation.
“Manuel Matias, as far as I know, is in a Facebook or Telegram group where that [far-right] group was also present. As far as I know, throughout the day, Manuel Matias has nothing to do with that group—a group which Chega didn’t even know existed,” he claimed.
In distancing from anti-democratic practices, Ventura added: “The country’s transformation is through votes. We are winning the country through votes and not by any other means.”
