“Three Salazars are needed because they have allowed this to become a complete mess; three Salazars are required because they have let corruption flood in; three Salazars are necessary because they have let everyone in without checking backgrounds,” argued the leader of Chega, emphasizing that in Madeira, for example, just one or two would suffice to end the “drug chaos.”
At a speech during a lunch/rally with Chega-elected municipalities in Funchal, Ventura sought to distance himself from the values of April and delineate himself from those he considers his main opponents in the race for Belém, Gouveia e Melo, Marques Mendes, and António José Seguro.
“On January 18th, […] there will be three projects at stake that aim to sell off the country, to yield the country, to kneel to others, and another project that is about never kneeling, defending our dignity, and walking with our heads held high,” he stated.
“I am not the candidate of April; I am the candidate of Portugal,” he declared, reinforcing: “It’s the candidacy of Portuguese identity, the candidacy of our values, the candidacy of Lusitania, a candidacy that wants to unite Portugal and show abroad that we indeed want to rise again.”
The presidential candidate and leader of Chega opined that Portugal has been lowering its head and bending knees for too long, stressing that it is now necessary to bring back the young people who emigrated, telling them they “must return to the great homeland” that is Portugal.
“We do not want this system because they brought us April and pretended that April would solve all our problems, and we walked through the avenues with carnations saying April, April, April while the young had to leave, while former fighters died in misery, while others plundered, enriched themselves, and we became poorer and poorer, while it was business for them and their friends, and the country was becoming poorer and more humiliated,” he argued.
André Ventura criticized the candidacies of António José Seguro, Marques Mendes, and especially Gouveia e Melo, for the positions taken regarding immigration and for considering former President Mário Soares as a model.
“We have to win because this country needs to be put in order,” he declared, expressing confidence that Madeira will give him victory in the first round.
In his speech, repeatedly interrupted by strong applause, André Ventura reiterated that three Salazars are needed to straighten out the country, a phrase used on Friday in an interview with SIC.
André Ventura officially presented his candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic in September, now taking on missions to put Portugal “in order” and combat the “epidemic of corruption.” As head of state, the leader of Chega promises he wouldn’t be a “ribbon-cutter” or a “marketing agent.”
Regarding the municipalities elected by Chega, André Ventura warned them about the challenges of local governance, underlining the obligation to fight corruption and end what he calls the “system of privilege” in municipalities.
“The power of proximity is the power of influence, and in democracy, this influence needs to be well used because it can quickly turn into corruption, trafficking, and favoritism,” he warned.
Ventura expressed confidence that the mayor of São Vicente, in the north of Madeira, one of the three municipalities won by Chega in the October 12 elections, alongside Entroncamento (Santarém) and Albufeira (Faro), will manage to “cut off the entitlement of those living at the expense of public systems for many years,” even if it costs votes.
“Believe in this, to hell with the elections,” he declared, maintaining that the duty of Chega’s elected officials is to be honest and true.
Today, André Ventura concluded a two-day visit to Madeira, where he attended the inauguration of the new São Vicente City Council executive on Saturday.
São Vicente was the first municipality won by Chega in the October 12 elections, with 49.23% of the votes, against 38.93% for the PSD/CDS-PP coalition, which had led the municipality since 2021, signaling the entry of the far-right party into local governance in the autonomous region.
The new executive, led by José Carlos Gonçalves, is now composed of three Chega-elected officials and two from the PSD/CDS-PP coalition.
