Ventura accuses Centeno of having obtained “scandalous benefits” by retiring at 59 and speaks of a “hidden agreement”. The party has submitted a request for Álvaro Santos Pereira to clarify the case in parliament.
Chega wants to hear from the Governor of the Bank of Portugal regarding Mário Centeno's early retirement

Context & Explainers

André Ventura, born January 15, 1983, is a lawyer, academic, and Portugal's most prominent far-right leader. He founded Chega ("Enough") in 2019 after his PSD mayoral campaign attacked the Romani community. Chega surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest party and making Ventura Leader of the Opposition.
His platform emphasizes immigration restrictions, law-and-order policies, constitutional reform, and contains inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric that has triggered multiple discrimination convictions and investigations. Politically classified as far-right by international media, Ventura cultivates alliances with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal.
He announced his 2026 presidential candidacy, polling at 18% alongside independent Admiral Gouveia e Melo. His rise ended Portugal's 50-year resistance to far-right parties.
Mário Centeno is a Portuguese economist and politician who served as Finance Minister from 2015 to 2020 and as President of the Eurogroup from 2018 to 2020, and later became Governor of the Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal). His nomination for vice‑president of the European Central Bank matters because a senior Portuguese official at the ECB could influence euro‑area monetary policy decisions that affect interest rates and the economy in Portugal.

Chega ("Enough") is a Portuguese far-right populist party founded in 2019 by André Ventura. It positions itself as an anti-establishment movement against what it calls a "rotten and corrupt system" of PS-PSD dominance. The party surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest force with 60 seats. Chega's core platform emphasizes strict immigration control—ending automatic CPLP residency, deporting non-independent immigrants, implementing job-market quotas, and requiring five-year social security contributions before benefit access. It advocates radical constitutional reform, including reducing parliament to 100 members, abolishing the prime minister position for a presidential system, and dismantling public healthcare. Law-and-order policies include life imprisonment and chemical castration proposals.
The party is defined by inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric, with Ventura convicted multiple times for discrimination. Chega maintains international alignments with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, and Matteo Salvini. Mainstream Portuguese parties, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government, have imposed a cordon sanitaire, refusing coalition with Chega despite its parliamentary strength.
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Other news coverage of this topic
- Chega calls Governor of the Bank of Portugal to parliament to explain Centeno's pension6:43pm, 15 Mar 2026 • RTP Notícias
- Governor of the Bank of Portugal summoned to Parliament to explain Centeno's pension5:57pm, 15 Mar 2026 • Público
- Centeno's shadow at the Bank of Portugal6:22pm, 15 Mar 2026 • ECO
- Chega summons Santos Pereira to parliament to explain Centeno's pension5:57pm, 15 Mar 2026 • ECO
- Chega summons Governor of the Bank of Portugal to Parliament to explain Centeno's retirement5:30pm, 15 Mar 2026 • Diário de Notícias


