“I’m not decorative”: councilor in Lisbon leaves Chega (after being the center of the recount soap opera)

Ana Simões Silva remains as an independent councilor: “I cannot remain as a merely decorative councilor”.

The councilor of the He arrives in the Chamber of Lisbon, Ana Simões Silvadecided disaffiliate of the party and will assume the mandate in the municipal executive as an independent, he announced today, justifying the decision with “insurmountable political incompatibilities”.

“I inform you that I will assume the mandate as independent councilor. This decision is related to insurmountable political incompatibilities inside the party councilor’s office He arrives. I cannot remain a merely decorative councilorwithout any type of means that allow exercising a competent mandate for the benefit of the city of Lisbon”, said Ana Simões Silva, in a statement sent to the Lusa agency.

In that same statement, the woman elected by Chega in the Lisbon municipal executive said that she officially presented her disaffiliation from the Chega party today, “with immediate effects.”

Lusa tried to obtain more information from Ana Simões Silva, who referred it to a later date.

Ana Simões Silva, a dentist by profession, occupied 2nd place on the Chega à Câmara de Lisboa party list in the municipal elections of October 12, 2025, joining the candidacy led by Bruno Mascarenhas, until then a deputy in the Lisbon Municipal Assembly.

In these local elections, which took place around three months ago, the Chega party managed to elect for the first time in the executive of the Lisbon Chamber, with the election of two councilors: Bruno Mascarenhas and Ana Simões Silva.

It was precisely the election of Ana Simões Silva that gave rise to the “soap opera” of recount in Lisbon: Chega would have been ahead of the CDU (and thus entitled to two councilors) by just ; but it was found that in São Domingos de Benfica; then the Constitutional Court ordered it to be carried out in a section of the parish of São Domingos de Benfica.

In the end, Chega remained ahead – but now it remains like the CDU, with just one councilor.