Chega’s leader announced this Tuesday a demonstration against the visit of Brazil’s President Lula da Silva to Portugal, deeming it an “unnecessary and unnecessary provocation” for him to speak at the April 25 formal session.
At a press conference at Chega’s national headquarters, André Ventura defended that a possible speech in parliament by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva at the April 25 formal session “disgraces Portuguese democracy”. “Doing this on the day of our democracy, on a day that is neither left nor right, belongs to everyone, it is an unnecessary provocation, it is the opening of a latent conflict on a day that should be a celebration and that should be the maximum consensus”defended André Ventura.
Chega’s leader stressed that he “never questioned the possibility of a state visit” by Lula da Silva to Portugal, despite being “absolutely against”, stating that he respects the invitation to the Brazilian president, “which is a invitation is from the legitimate government of Portugal”. However, Ventura believed that a speech by Lula da Silva at the solemn session on April 25 would “bring external contagion” and “provoke the conflict even within the Assembly of the Republic” and underlined that if that happens, Chega will respond in a “fixed and frontal” manner.
“We remain in place, but we will act accordingly, and we will confront the Brazilian president with what we understand, give him the opportunity, speak, also to say what he thinks and what he wants to say on this issue”, he underlined. Without wanting to dwell on the attitude the party will adopt in plenary, Ventura only stressed that Chega’s deputies will not be “pleasant or courteous”, despite acknowledging that this is “not what you want when a head of state foreigner visits”.
The Chega leader therefore appealed to the PS to have “common sense” and that the President of the Assembly of the Republic and the Conference of Leaders not schedule Lula da Silva’s speech for April 25. “I don’t see who benefits from this, not even the government itself. I think we will all lose out on this, especially on a day when the country’s top dignitaries are in plenary, the main figures of the judiciary power apparatus, the military apparatus, foreign guests, the diplomatic sector… And we are going to give this image of the country, which we are not”he said.
If Lula da Silva’s speech takes place in a session other than the one on April 25, André Ventura said he doesn’t know if his party will attend, but if it does, the “reaction will be much more serene and much friendlier”. .
Regardless of that speech, André Ventura announced at this press conference that Chega is contacting members of the Brazilian community in Portugal to organize a demonstration on the day the Brazilian president speaks in parliament. “I want to make this very clear: Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva will not have it easy in Portugal. We will promote, publish, organize, transport and do everything we can to make this the largest demonstration ever against a head of state in Portugal, visiting Portuguese institutions”he said.
According to André Ventura, “if necessary” Chega will “send everyone around the Assembly of the Republic that day to protest and show that the kind of politics and alliances with Lula da Silva do not respect democracy, they are destroying Portuguese democracy”. Ventura also left criticism on Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, accusing him of making “an attempt at normalization” of the Brazilian president by bringing up former head of state Aníbal Cavaco Silva for “raucous praise” of Lula da Silva.
Asked by journalists how he explains that a party seeking government could jeopardize its diplomatic relations, Ventura replied that if Chega were in the executive branch, the invitation to Lula da Silva “would never happen” because the “fight against corruption” it would be the “decisive element” for his “national and international” action.
“The right that arose with the growth of Chega is different from any rights we had until now. I give a warning that I hope is noticeable: (…) I hope the PSD realizes that the attitude has it with this presence it will mean a lot to Chega’s militants, to Chega’s supporters, and perhaps a lot to the political future of the country”challenged.
Source: DN
