The president of Chega, André Ventura, distanced himself yesterday from the motion to reject the AD government program announced by the PCP, but threatened to vote against the State Budgets if there is no agreement with the PSD.
In an interview with CMTV, André Ventura demanded that the PSD reach a “government agreement” centered on “five priorities” – fighting corruption; reducing taxes; increasing pensions; security forces; ex-combatants – so that Chega can make structural documents such as state budgets viable.
“I’m not going to make Chega the crutch of any government,” assured Ventura, saying that he doesn’t base his political life on calculations, but admitting that “the Portuguese will also know how to value a president who offered to be a guarantee of stability, but no one wanted him.” “If the government falls, it will be the PSD’s responsibility, not ours,” he stressed.
The Chega leader also recalled that in the legislature that is now ending he voted in favor of proposals from other parties, including the PCP and Livre, and promised to “continue with this record”.
“But not in a general guidance document like the Budget. Humiliation has its limits! If there is no agreement or openness to dialogue, I will vote against it,” he said.
Ventura considered that “the time for political crutches is over” and that, with almost 50 MPs elected on Sunday, “it is much more comfortable for Chega to stay in opposition” so that it will then become “easier to get into power”, pointing to the cases of France, Germany and the Netherlands.
The Chega leader specified that his demand is for a “government agreement” with the PSD, since the parliamentary agreement “has already shown signs of not working”, as was the case in the Azores, stressing that “everyone has to give in”.
“My goal is to give Portugal a government. If all this leads to absolute zero, don’t ask me for responsibility,” he said, stating that he has “channels” to negotiate, but nothing formal is underway. “I haven’t stopped being friends with Luís Montenegro,” he said.
As for names for a future government, André Ventura said it wasn’t the “essential question”, although he considered that “if there is an agreement, people choose the names together”.
As for the motion to reject the government program announced by the PCP, the Chega leader said it was not part of his plans to vote in favor.
“I don’t feel much like voting in favor of something that is completely inconsequential,” he declared, saying that he found it funny that the PCP was announcing the presentation at a time when we don’t know who the prime minister is, nor the government, nor the program. “I don’t see any viability in this motion,” he stressed, saying that the decision on the vote will be taken in the next few days at a meeting of the Chega Parliamentary Group.
In the interview with Correio da Manhã/TV, André Ventura took issue with a report published by Expresso on the Friday before the elections, which Belém did not deny, that the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, would not allow Chega to join the government, which he considered to be an interference in the electoral process.
Ventura assumed that the President had told him some time ago that “he would not oppose” the entry of members of his party into the government. “If Marcelo says he won’t, he’s lying,” he added, saying that next week he will go to the Belém Palace to insist that “it would be irresponsible” to take the country to new elections just to avoid having Chega members in the government.
The Democratic Alliance (AD), which brings together the PSD, CDS and PPM, with 29.49%, won 79 deputies in the Assembly of the Republic in Sunday’s legislative elections, against 77 for the PS (28.66%), followed by Chega with 48 elected deputies (18.06%).
IL, with eight seats, BE, with five, and PAN, with one, kept their number of deputies. Livre went from one to four, while the CDU lost two seats and was left with four.
The four MPs for emigration have yet to be determined, and that won’t happen until March 20. Only then, and after hearing the parties with parliamentary representation, will the President of the Republic appoint the new Prime Minister.
