After what Rui Cristina of Chega announced as his final speech as a deputy—having won the Albufeira Municipal Chamber in last Sunday’s municipal elections, October 12—the Assembly of the Republic witnessed an unorthodox moment led by PSD deputy Gonçalo Capitão.
In a request for clarification, the Social Democratic parliamentarian referred to Chega leader André Ventura’s goal of winning 30 municipal chambers.
“André Ventura talks about 30 chambers, then wins three, just removed a zero. But then multiplied by three, multiplying zero by three must be the math of the hamburger party. You went from miserable to poor and are all happy,” he quipped.
Gonçalo Capitão also stated that Chega intended to lead the Right, but “were washed away by CDS,” and aimed to “end the Left,” but “lost to the CDU.”
“You are the PCP of the Right. Even when you lose, you always win,” he criticized, asserting that Chega is “clearly a one-man company.”
“When Ventura is present, you speak like Godzilla. When he is not, you leave like Calimero. Since you have no shame, have some sense,” he added.
View the intervention below – from 2h37m50s:
Gonçalo Capitão’s intervention sparked protests from the Chega benches, prompting parliamentary leader Pedro Pinto to claim the Assembly of the Republic “is not a circus.”
Subsequently, the PSD parliamentary leader asked to defend the honor of the bench, accusing Pedro Pinto of “calling Gonçalo Capitão a clown.”
“We have often witnessed great circus arts from the Chega bench and never accused them of being a circus. Today, we witnessed a sublime piece of political rhetoric,” defended Hugo Soares.
In reply, the Chega parliamentary leader complained of insults and disrespect, arguing that in a “circus, there are not only clowns, there are also trapeze artists and contortionists.”
“Which is what you will have to do in various chambers around the country to have Chega by your side, the contortionist act you will have to perform,” he argued.
Notably, Rui Cristina (ex-PSD) was elected president of the Albufeira Municipal Chamber (district of Faro) on Sunday, one of the three won by Chega in these local elections, alongside Entroncamento (Santarém) and São Vicente (Madeira).
