The area in Chega is on fire. Nuno Afonso, the party’s No. 2 militant (No. 1 is André Ventura), saw the party strip him of political confidence as councilor in Sintra yesterday, days after announcing that he will run for leadership if the next congress is elected.
Following this decision, by the District Political Commission (CPD) of Lisbon do Chega, Nuno Afonso – who was Vice President of Chega until the III Congress (May last year) and who was Ventura’s Chief of Staff in Parliament in the legislature in which he was the only deputy – issued a statement claiming he is even considering a criminal case against the party and leaders of the Lisbon CPD.
“This is a party that is not guided by democratic values, that persecutes its opponents personally and politically, as never before seen in democracy in our country, a typical behavior of the dictatorships that existed and exist all over the world.”
The alderman makes a very violent diagnosis about the (absence) of internal democracy in Chega.
He claims to be the target of “repeated political and personal persecution”, using “insults” and “lies” and denounces the “authoritarianism in force in the party”. “This is a party that is not guided by democratic values, that persecutes its opponents personally and politically, as never before seen in democracy in our country, a typical behavior of dictatorships that existed and exist all over the world,” he wrote.
According to him, Chega followed an “anti-democratic and totalitarian course”, which is illustrated by the fact that “deputies and elements of national bodies, including the president himself” call “their internal opponents rats or traitors”. “Nor do I accept that the ‘justice’ of the party be applied to some” while “everything is allowed with impunity to others”.
“His vote, despite party guidelines and strategy set for the district, is a clear act of party indiscipline and leaves this district political committee with no choice but to withdraw political confidence in Councilor Nuno Afonso immediately. .”
The CPD of Lisbon do Chega has withdrawn political confidence in the councilor of Sintra’s elected party, claiming that by making the 2023 municipal budget feasible, she did not respect the party’s political indications. According to a statement, the Sintra city council would soon be told that Nuno Afonso no longer represents the party.
The Sintra budget for 2023, amounting to 315 million euros, was approved on Tuesday with the positive votes of the PS (four councillors, plus the chairman), of the CDU councillor, the abstention of Chega councilor and the votes against PSD and CDS (four councillors).
“His vote, despite party guidelines and strategy set for the district, is a clear act of party indiscipline and leaves this district political committee with no choice but to withdraw political confidence in Councilor Nuno Afonso immediately. .”
The mayor disputed saying that “what was approved was the submission of the budget to the city council so that this body could deliberate on its approval or rejection”, demonstrating the Lisbon do Chega CPD’s “total ignorance and incompetence”. He additionally claimed not to have been “aware of party positions” with voting guidelines regarding Sintra.
Source: DN
