The presidential candidate and leader of Chega, André Ventura, 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.
The leader of Chega spoke to journalists at the beginning of a street rally in Moscavide, in the municipality of Loures, when he was asked about the statements made by presidential candidate Catarina Martins, who today considered it important that there is transparency regarding who finances electoral campaigns, in addition to the issue of candidates’ income.
André 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.
From the perspective of André Ventura“those who are repeatedly saying that the State has to be transparent, have to demand transparency from candidacies as well”. “And therefore, I will also have this desire for transparency”, he insisted.
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, not only those who support it, but also those who work with the campaign and those who are helping with the campaignso 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 Mendes, candidate supported by PSD/CDS-PP, released on Friday a list of his company’s 22 clientswhich provides services in consultancy, commentary and participation in conferences, and which includes the Famalicão construction company Alberto Couto Alves.
To Lusa, the campaign director, Duarte Marques, challenged the remaining candidates, “for the sake of transparency”, to disclose “everything that could give rise to conflicts of interest”.