Chega's Parliamentary Leader Calls for "More Effective" Sanctions Against "Unacceptable Behavior"—But His Own Party's Record Raises Questions
Portugal's Parliament Erupts as Chega Lawmakers Spark Racism and Insult Row
During the leaders' conference on March 25, Chega's parliamentary leader, Pedro Pinto, pushed for "more effective" sanctions to crack down on what he described as "unacceptable behavior" in parliament. To justify his demand, he singled out two Socialist Party (PS) lawmakers: Eva Cruzeiro, who had called Chega's bench "racist," and Isabel Moreira, who labeled deputies who voted in favor of the gender identity law as "murderers," as reported by Público.
Chega's Call for Sanctions Clashes With Its Own Bench's Conduct
The party's recent demand for stricter penalties is undermined by its own deputies' track record of controversial behavior.
Take the case of Socialist lawmaker Eva Cruzeiro. Her remark calling Chega's deputies "racist" was not unprovoked—it came after Chega's Filipe Melo repeatedly shouted at her during a plenary session on immigration: "Go back to your own country!"
If Chega's proposed conduct rules were rigorously enforced, several of its own members would likely face consequences. Deputies Rita Matias and Rodrigo Taxa, for instance, were formally reported for directly insulting PAN spokesperson Inês Sousa Real, calling her "disgusting,""human scum," and "an intellectual nobody."
Even Pedro Pinto himself—now advocating for "order"—has a history of disrespectful outbursts. On the same day he called for sanctions over misconduct, he reportedly referred to a Livre party deputy as a "swindler," according to Público. Back in 2023, during a heated debate involving the Left Bloc and the Liberal Initiative, he had already dismissed a lawmaker as a "clown."
Chega's bench was also at the center of one of parliament's most contentious episodes when it targeted Ana Sofia Antunes, a blind PS deputy. She reported hearing insults from Chega's seats, including "freak,""you should be on a street corner," and "druggie."
Another incident involved former PS lawmaker Romualda Fernandes, who accused a Chega deputy of racism in the assembly's corridors. She recounted that upon passing a Chega member in broad daylight, he held the door open, sarcastically wished her "good night," and laughed—an exchange she interpreted as a direct jab at her skin color.
The party's history includes its leader, André Ventura, who in 2020 suggested that then-deputy Joacine Katar Moreira be "sent back to her country of origin."
Despite its vocal demands, however, Chega has yet to formally submit any concrete proposal for such sanctions.
At the March 25 leaders' conference, Pinto reiterated the need for "more effective and severe" penalties against deputies exhibiting poor conduct.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
