André Ventura, leader of Portugal's Chega party, on Sunday accused Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of 'total ineptitude' in handling housing and of allowing the issue to become a public-order problem. Speaking at a press conference at Chega's Lisbon headquarters, Ventura said the prime minister should address the country on housing and announce measures, and that Chega would present its own proposals next week.
Ventura rejected suggestions that housing protesters were selfish or lacked empathy, saying they knew the country they lived in but Montenegro did not. He argued that the public-order dimension had emerged because the prime minister, the interior minister and the housing minister had not acknowledged people's dissatisfaction or offered a broad package of measures when the country needed them. He also said responsibility had been wrongly shifted onto police, who are themselves affected by housing costs, and that the situation had been badly managed.
Asked about police operations overnight during demonstrations in Lisbon and Porto, Ventura said it was not yet clear who had given orders or for what. He said Portugal had to decide whether it wanted a country where order and law could be repeatedly violated, or one where everyone had the right to demonstrate but the law had to be respected. He acknowledged legitimate reasons for the housing protests, describing the situation as an emergency more serious than in France, Germany and Spain and a 'fuse' that could grow further.
Chega's planned measures would aim to return to Portuguese people much of what they spend on housing, accelerate construction markedly and give young people seeking a first home a state-backed guarantee, Ventura said. He added that owners and landlords should not be treated as social security agents. The party had abstained at the general vote on the government's proposal to revise the rental regime, based on an agreement with the PSD for changes in committee.
Ventura said the housing cause could not be reduced to a group of troublemakers or vandals, nor to the government's lack of empathy. He repeated his call for Montenegro to speak to citizens and present solutions, comparing him unfavourably with other European leaders who he said had addressed their countries during protests and crises. He also blamed the left in general and the PS for housing access problems, which he linked to immigration, and criticised Portugal's small public housing stock. He condemned the presence of Hamas, Palestinian and communist collective flags at the demonstrations and accused the 'irresponsible left opposition' for the situation.
Ventura said the debate on the 2027 state budget would be a privileged moment to approve housing measures and contribute to social pacification. He announced an 'emergency package for housing', describing it not as a basic housing and rental law but as what a decent and serious government should have done. The party would present legislation to help those who spend more on housing and measures to accelerate construction markedly.
Sources: Observador.