This Thursday, Chega changed the location of a press conference with representatives of European far-right parties, because the parliamentary services did not allow their guests to speak in the Passos Perdidos of the Assembly of the Republic.
Several leaders of European far-right parties will be in Lisbon between Thursday and Friday to take part in a meeting of the Identity and Democracy (ID) political family.
On Friday morning, Chega planned to hold a joint press conference with André Ventura, the representative of the French Rassemblement National party, Marine Le Pen, and Tino Chrupalla, chairman of the German party AfD (Alternative for Germany), in Lost Steps of the Assembly of the Republic – a space used by all political forces to speak to the media – which this Thursday turned into a room of its parliamentary group.
Asked by journalists about the reason for this change, André Ventura said so “the services of the Assembly of the Republic did not give permission” the joint press conference format at the home location.
“I don’t want to respond to criticism for criticism’s sake. I have no idea of the precedent, the idea I have is that it has happened several times. I know national political leaders have been here several times. “I don’t know if there is a specific regime for foreign leaders.”he said.
According to the president of Chega, the party received a note from the General Secretariat of Parliament on Thursday stating that in Passos Perdidos only statements were allowed by André Ventura, but not by the other speakers, so a change of venue was decided.
When Lusa was questioned on this subject, the office of the President of the Assembly of the Republic replied that the Chega parliamentary group had requested the services “a request for permission to hold a joint press conference with entities outside the Assembly of the Republic (Rassemblement National Party, from France, and AfD Party, from Germany)”.
“The services of the Assembly of the Republic have informed that the spaces available in the AR for holding press conferences are reserved exclusively for deputies, members of the government who appear in the Assembly of the Republic in the performance of their duties before Parliament and members of foreign delegations on an official visit to the Assembly of the Republic”explained Augusto Santos Silva’s office.
Source: DN
