The case concerns statements by Chega MP Francisco Gomes, who accused other MPs—without identifying them—of soliciting payments from an association in the TVDE (ride-hailing) sector.
Aguiar-Branco calls for inquiry into Chega MP's corruption allegations
Wednesday, 28 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
TVDE refers to app‑based private‑hire ride services; the acronym stands for Transporte em Veículos Descaracterizados a partir de Plataforma Eletrónica and covers drivers working for platforms like Uber and Bolt. Drivers are using temporary app shutdowns as a protest over what they say is inadequate regulation and working conditions, so commuters who rely on ride‑hailing during peak hours should expect possible service disruptions next week.
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.
