Portugal's right-wing Chega party submitted a motion of censure against the government in parliament on Wednesday, demanding the removal of Internal Administration Minister Luís Neves following a series of controversies over the past two months.
The motion could trigger the fall of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's ruling Democratic Alliance executive, but the initiative is doomed to fail after the opposition Socialist Party announced it will vote against the proposal.
Chega leader André Ventura acknowledged that a censure motion was not a desirable political tool, but argued that the degradation of state institutions forced his party to move forward. Ventura stated that if the prime minister did not understand that the situation involved state decency and dignity, the main opposition party needed to demonstrate it to him.
Chega, founded in 2019, is Portugal's principal right-wing opposition party in the Assembly of the Republic. The ruling Democratic Alliance coalition operates as a minority government, making its survival dependent on support or abstention from opposition parties such as the Socialists.
Parliamentary debate schedule
Parliamentary regulations dictate that a censure motion must be debated within three parliamentary days of its submission. The requirement could bring Prime Minister Montenegro to the Assembly of the Republic on Monday.
That potential appearance would occur one day before Neves is scheduled to address the Parliamentary Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Ventura, who does not hold a seat on that committee, ruled out swapping positions with a party colleague to question Neves directly.
Ventura remarked that the minister might try to turn the matter into a personal dispute, but insisted it was not and had never been one.
Assembly of the Republic President José Pedro Aguiar-Branco called a conference of party leaders for Thursday to fix the debate date. Uncertainty remains over the exact timing because parliament has not officially resumed full work following the summer recess.
Inquiry into police mandates
Direct confrontation is expected during a dedicated Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry examining Neves' former mandates as head of the Judicial Police, Portugal's main criminal investigation agency. Chega requested the inquiry through its mandatory parliamentary powers and intends to maintain it to demand full scrutiny and truth.
Ventura stated that the allegations against Neves were neither minor nor trivial. He highlighted specific cases, including a trailer containing drug-precursor chemicals that was left under the custody of a friend of Neves, and a vehicle confiscated from a drug dealer that was handed over for the minister's use.
The Chega leader asserted that no conditions could justify keeping Neves in office, warning that if the minister remains, Portugal's ethical standards will have vanished completely.
Political reactions across parliament
Ventura revealed he discussed the situation by telephone on Tuesday with former Socialist leader António José Seguro. Ventura stated that President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has taken action, remains vigilant, and is concerned about the ongoing controversy.
Ventura confirmed he has not had contact with Montenegro in recent days. The filing represents the first censure motion against the current government and the third faced by Montenegro's administrations, following earlier motions by Chega and the Portuguese Communist Party.
Ventura argued that by voting against the motion, the Socialist Party remains politically tied to keeping Neves in office. However, Socialist Party Secretary-General José Luís Carneiro confirmed on Wednesday that his party would not cause a political crisis in Portugal.
Meanwhile, the Left Bloc declared that Chega's censure motion fails to address the genuine reasons why the government deserves to be censured.
