Ventura says that Pedro Frazão's video to the Reconquista group was sent for personal reasons.

André Ventura downplayed a message from a Chega party MP to the Reconquista group, stressing that Pedro Frazão's video was sent in a personal capacity.

"Deputy Pedro Frazão sent a video greeting to a movement, as he does for hundreds of other movements, and he was not present as vice-president of Chega, he did not send it as vice-president of Chega, he sent it in a personal capacity," said André Ventura, in a press conference at the party headquarters.

"Chega was not present in that movement; Chega has its own identity and its own strength, which is indisputable and which the whole country knows about in these matters," he added.

The statements from the leader of Chega come in the wake of news reports that MP Pedro Frazão sent a video to the Reconquista meeting, in which he described this nationalist group as "one of the houses of the patriotic Christian right in Portugal," and stated that its members are "allies" of Chega.

Despite the journalists' insistence, André Ventura did not directly answer whether he agreed with Pedro Frazão and stressed that "the only ally Chega has is the Portuguese people, it has no other allies".

He acknowledged, however, points of convergence with the ideals advocated by the Reconquista, especially regarding immigration, but distanced himself on other points, such as the issue of the role of women.

“It’s not a matter of partially agreeing. Chega has its own identity, its own ideas, and if others agree with Chega’s ideas, what we have to do is ask others if they agree with Chega. It’s not Chega or the leader of the opposition that has to agree with others, it’s the others who have to agree with Chega,” he argued.

"Chega is firm in its defense of a country with less immigration, a country of its values, of the Christian matrix of values, of the defense of equality between men and women, which is a decisive and fundamental point, of the fight against corruption and the expulsion of illegal immigrants," he added.