“The ball is now in hand, not just Chega’s, but also the prime minister’s, whether he will accept making the break with the PS, which is a cut of value, axiomatically, a break in political stance with our history, or if he will continue in the arms of the PS, even though the PS is no longer even the second most voted party in the country,” he stated.
The leader of Chega suggested that the PSD should clarify “if it will really risk breaking with the PS,” highlighting the “historical majority that the Portuguese opted to give to the right.”
Ventura noted that this majority is not “unconstitutional, because this majority is not against the Constitution,” but it has “a different vision of the Constitution and believes we should have a Constitution for everyone and not just for some.”
He argued that the choice is “between maintaining the status quo and everything the same, despite the vote, and that is the same scheme between PS and PSD that we have seen for 50 years, or if we want to take the leap, and the leap here is a qualitative leap and a leap of political dynamic.”
Speaking to journalists at the Assembly of the Republic, André Ventura was questioned about the words of the candidate for socialist leadership José Luís Carneiro, who argued that the AD should choose the PS as a “dialogue partner” on regime issues, should a constitutional revision proceed.
“I see this as some sign of desperation from the Socialist Party, in wanting to cling in any way possible to a position it no longer holds,” criticized the leader of Chega.
The president of Chega also stated that, although the counting of emigrants’ votes in the May 18 legislative elections is not yet complete, which will determine the second parliamentary force between Chega and PS, “there have been contacts between the parliamentary leaderships,” considering this an “important step for at least starting to define the basis on which the country will live in the coming months regarding the political situation.”
“It is necessary to know how the political framework of the country stands, because one thing is for the PS to continue being the leader of the opposition, another is for Chega to become the party leading the opposition,” he argued.
