The decision is based on the fact that André Ventura's party has exhausted its mandatory scheduling slots.
Aguiar-Branco refuses to admit Chega's request for an urgent debate on fuel

Context & Explainers

José Pedro Aguiar‑Branco is the President of the Assembly of the Republic, who in this story requested that the Committee on Constitutional Affairs examine the constitutional conformity of government measures in a proposed bill. He is using his parliamentary role to trigger a formal review of changes affecting confession rules and the rights of the defence.

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
- Aguiar-Branco refuses Chega's request for a debate10:57pm, 9 Mar 2026 • Observador
- Aguiar-Branco refuses to admit Chega's request for an urgent debate on fuel10:04pm, 9 Mar 2026 • CNN Portugal
- Aguiar-Branco refuses to admit Chega's request for an urgent debate on fuel9:44pm, 9 Mar 2026 • RTP Notícias
- Aguiar-Branco refuses Chega's request for an urgent debate on fuel9:37pm, 9 Mar 2026 • ECO








