ANTÓNIO PEDRO SANTOS/LUSA
Chega’s (CH) candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, André Ventura (D), greets agents from the Public Security Police (PSP), during a riot in Moscavide, Loures.
The man justified himself: the hammer was to explain to Chega’s leader that Portugal needs a hammer. Ventura has not yet decided whether to press charges, but has already decided that he will publish a list of campaign donors.
A man with a wooden hammer in his hand advanced, this Saturday, towards André Ventura during a riot in Moscavide, but was stopped in time by the PSP and the security team of the president of Chega.
The incident occurred in the middle of contact with supporters and generated moments of tension. Although Ventura said he did not see the individual, the alleged attacker was removed and began to be monitored by agents on site, remaining under surveillance, but without being formally detained.
According to , the man is a former combatant and told the authorities that he did not intend to attack Ventura, even claiming to be a Chega militant. With the hammer, I would like to exemplify to André Ventura what Portugal needs: “a hammer blow”.
Still according to the report collected by the morning newspaper, André Ventura classified the explanation as “strange” and stated that he will evaluate the situation before deciding whether to file a complaint.
“It’s a strange justification, let’s evaluate it”, said the candidate for Belém. “I know they took the hammer out of his hand”, he explained.
“I will disclose the entire list” of donations to the campaign
At the beginning of the street in which everything happened, in Moscavide, municipality of Loures, Ventura, he stated that he will make the list of donations for his campaign public through a website, and challenged his opponents to do the same.
“I am completely available [para divulgar a lista de donativos para a campanha]. At the end, in the middle, when you understand. Now it doesn’t make much sense yet because the campaign hasn’t started yet. When it is understood, we will publish the entire list, and I challenge my opponents to do the same”, challenged André Ventura.
Ventura pointed out that, in an electoral campaign for the presidential elections, there is support from parties, for those who have it, but also “donations from individual people, up to the amounts that the law provides”.
“In our case, everything is done through a website, electronically, which is registered, which is transparent and which is clear and clarified”, he stated.
The presidential candidate pointed out that “there are declarations that are delivered to the Accounts Entity, in which it is necessary to deliver and show all the campaign accounts”, but in this electoral race “a higher level” is being reached.
“What is [divulgar] those who support the campaign, who they are and what interests they have. I am completely available for this, whoever it is, whoever it is, not only those who support it, but also those who work with the campaign and those who are helping with the campaign, so that it is clear to the country that there is nothing that will condition me”, he maintained.
Ventura also recalled that “he has been submitting income declarations for many years”, as he is a deputy in the Assembly of the Republic.
Issues related to transparency have marked the last days of the pre-campaign for the presidential elections, after Luís Marques Mendesa candidate supported by the PSD/CDS-PP, released a statement on Friday, and that his candidacy challenged his opponents to do the same.
