This Wednesday, the Foreign Minister accused Chegu of having a “double voice” in Portugal and Europe and of threatening Portuguese “prestige” after party MPs declared themselves Europeanists and critics of the Russian president.
“In Brussels you have one voice, but here in Portugal you have another, because you are ashamed to talk about what you defend abroad,” Paulo Rangel told Cega MPs during a hearing before the parliamentary committee on European affairs. which took place today in the Assembly of the Republic.
Chega, who has been associated with the European far-right group Identity and Democracy (ID) since 2020, places herself “alongside people who condemn Ukraine, who stand for [Vladimir] Putin.”
Naming the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), French politician Marine Le Pen and her National Union party or Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini (League) as all members of the ID, Paulo Rangel said: “I see your leader [André Ventura] “Everyone is happy with them, they never condemned this, but here, knowing that Portuguese public opinion will never accept this, they are trying to say that they have a different position.”
In his speech at the commission meeting, Cega deputy António Pinto Pereira called “Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine” and called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a dictator suffering from delusions of grandeur with a military intention to conquer Europe by force of arms.”
His colleague on the bench, Pedro Correia, stated: “By the way, Chega is a Europeanist party (…) and defends the greater identity of its states.”
The same MP assured that the party is not against immigration or immigrants, “recognizes the importance of immigrants in some sectors”, but “defends human dignity” and opposes “uncontrolled immigration”.
“I draw attention to the insurmountable contradiction: why can’t you say it here and then, in the European Parliament, stand next to those who defend the Putin regime and who even defend the end of the European Union (EU)? , don’t say you’re European, otherwise “tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you who you are” is an old Portuguese saying because you like the Portuguese identity so much,” Rangel responded. .
“You have to be credible, this speech is not credible,” said the minister, for whom Portugal is “in a very difficult position when there is a party with 50 deputies and speaking on the side of Russia.”
“This is observed throughout the European Union. I have no doubt about it. You are concerned about the betrayal of the country, be careful. The prestige of Portugal is at stake,” he warned.
The minister’s position was supported by the Liberal Initiative party: deputy Bernardo Blanco said that he was “surprised by this change of position towards the Russian regime”, and Rui Tavares from Livre recalled that the head of the Chegi list at the European elections meetings on June 9, Antonio Tangier Correa, “considered That’s a strong position [Presidente ucraniano, Volodymyr] Zelensky’s defense of all Ukrainian sovereignty was a reflection of, I quote, rash, idiotic and dangerous decisions.”
“Defending the honor of the party,” MP Pinto Pereira accused the minister of “demagoguery” and “inelegance.”
“We still don’t have deputies in the European Parliament, I think there will be as many as the SDP. [atualmente seis] or perhaps more. We have no position of subordination to any political family,” said the Chegi MP.
“We are a sovereign and democratic state. Portugal is not a hostage to Europe. This parliament is an organ of popular sovereignty and we represent the Portuguese here in Lisbon, not in Brussels,” he further stated.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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