Summary:
André Ventura of Chega insists the party's exclusion from 2025 State Budget negotiations is irrevocable.
He is open to approving IRC and IRS proposals if they are presented separately.
Ventura believes the Government has betrayed Chega by not negotiating on key issues such as immigration and corruption.
He warns that the PS and the Government must provide political stability to avoid a looming political crisis.
Chega will submit amendments to the Government's proposed budget.
Chega's Firm Decision on Budget Negotiations
The leader of Chega, André Ventura, declared on Wednesday that the party's decision to exclude itself from the negotiations regarding the 2025 State Budget is irrevocable. However, he expressed openness to approving proposals related to IRC (Corporate Income Tax) and IRS (Personal Income Tax) if they are presented outside of these negotiations.
"What I want to convey today is that the country knows the Government deceived us, and when that happens, it is indeed irrevocable that we are out of these negotiations; it is with the PS (Socialist Party) that they need to negotiate," Ventura stated before a meeting at Valorsul, a company handling urban waste management in the Lisbon area.
The Context of Irrevocability
André Ventura emphasized that this irrevocability is different from past situations, referencing the resignation of former Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas, asserting he is a leader of character and word.
He believes that there are no conditions left for a budgetary agreement with the Government and confirmed sending a letter to the Prime Minister indicating that negotiations are currently suspended, to which he has yet to receive a response.
Government's Partner and Political Stability
"The Government has chosen its partner and should carry these negotiations to the end with them," he asserted, referring to the PS. Ventura expressed hope that the socialists and the Government can provide the political stability the country needs, warning that if not, they will be solely responsible for the impending political crisis next month.
Future Proposals from Chega
Ventura also indicated that Chega will present amendments to the budget proposed by the Government. When asked if it is impossible to recover negotiations around the State Budget for next year, he acknowledged that "in politics, nothing is impossible," but accused the Government of betrayal.
"What we can say today is that we have been betrayed, we have been deceived. The Government did not accept to negotiate any key issues that were fundamental for us - immigration, combating corruption, and budgetary reorganization with lower taxes. Therefore, when we learned that the Government was actually preparing this budget without considering these essential lines, it was clear they were negotiating without us knowing," he explained.
Conditions for Approving Measures
Despite this, Ventura admitted he could approve certain measures as long as they are not included in the budget. "If the Government wants to remove these from the budget negotiations and create a separate document or differentiated legislative project regarding the agreements made with professional forces, or concerning IRS and IRC, we will be here to approve it, as these are measures we agree with," he stated.
He concluded by saying that if the Government is truly committed to approving these matters, it should remove them from the State Budget and present them elsewhere, ensuring Chega's support for them.
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