During a municipal campaign initiative in Entroncamento, district of Santarém, the Chega party leader was questioned about the remarks by the former social-democratic prime minister regarding the absence of red lines with Chega concerning potential municipal agreements.
“The statement is important because I think it shows a resurgence of the right in Portugal, and this resurgence of the right means, as Dr. Pedro Passos Coelho has already mentioned, among other occasions, it is not a question of party barriers, it’s a question of the right asserting itself in what it stands for, firm in the fight against corruption, firm in the fight against legal immigration, firm on security, even when this is difficult for the left, firm in defending those who work against minorities who do not work,” he stated.
André Ventura noted a “reawakening of the right” and stated there was an “evolution of Dr. Pedro Passos Coelho” and “clearly not that of Dr. Luís Montenegro.”
“These people you see, this movement, this is the reawakening of the right in Portugal, and it is important that this reawakening materializes now in the municipal, presidential, and legislative elections, when they come, that was all,” he added.
The Chega leader also criticized the reaction of the prime minister and PSD leader, Luís Montenegro, for saying it is “noise” to introduce the theme of post-municipal election governance in the final stretch of the campaign, considering that this will be a decision for voters next Sunday.
“When we see Professor Cavaco Silva enter the campaigns, we think it’s great because he says what the soft left and right want. When we see Dr. Pedro Passos Coelho enter, then it’s no longer relevant and it’s noise, that is, it just shows how the PSD is asleep,” he criticized.
“Today there is only one right in Portugal, that right is Chega, and basically, in other words, that’s what Dr. Pedro Passos Coelho said,” emphasized André Ventura.
The Chega president also interpreted the words of the former social-democratic prime minister as the need for the country to have “a profound change in various areas” and that “egos should not have been placed ahead of the importance of making reforms in the area of security, fighting corruption, but also economic growth and tax reform.”
“What Dr. Pedro Passos Coelho said is what we have always said, which is, if the country had been in agreement, we probably wouldn’t have had elections in May, we wouldn’t have had the whole crisis we had, and we would have a much better country today in some areas, in immigration control, foreign laws, tax issues, bureaucracy,” defended the Chega leader.
When asked if he would like the support of the former prime minister in the presidential candidacy, André Ventura replied: “What I want is for the people to support me, that’s what I want, I want the Portuguese people to support me.”
