André Claro Amaral Ventura (; born 15 January 1983) is a Portuguese

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, former

sports pundit A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the sports commentator#Main/play-by-play commentator, main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be re ...

and trainee priest, and founder of the

right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishm ...

political party Chega. He acts as the leader of the opposition since Chega finished in second place in Portugal's 2025 general election, leading the Opposition Shadow Cabinet. Ventura was affiliated with the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(PSD) until 2018, having run for Mayor of

Loures Loures () is a city and a municipality in Portugal which is part of the Lisbon District, District and Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Metropolitan area of Lisbon. It is the fifth most populous municipality in the country, with a total population of 201, ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

as the PSD candidate. He founded the political party Chega in April 2019 and six months later was elected to the Assembly of the Republic in the October 2019 legislative election. In 2021, he ran for

President of Portugal The president of Portugal, officially the president of the Portuguese Republic (, ), is the head of state and highest office of Portugal. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, and their relation with the prime minister ...

, coming third in the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

with 11.9% of the votes. In the

2024 Portuguese legislative election Snap election, Snap legislative elections were held on 10 March 2024 to elect members of the Assembly of the Republic (Portugal), Assembly of the Republic to the 16th Legislature of Portugal. All 230 seats to the Assembly of the Republic were up ...

, Chega, under his leadership, received 18.1% of the vote, more than quadrupling its seat count to a final total of 50. Ventura has faced criticism over his alleged racist and discriminatory speech against minority groups.

Education and youth

Ventura is the son of the owner of a small local bicycle shop, and an office worker. He is a native of

Algueirão–Mem Martins Algueirão – Mem Martins () is a Portuguese civil parish, in the municipality (''concelho'') of Sintra, and part of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. It was elevated from the status of village to town on 1 February 1988. History Toponymy The top ...

Sintra Sintra (, ), officially the Town of Sintra (), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of . Sintra is one of the ...

, a suburban locality in the

Lisbon metropolitan area The Lisbon Metropolitan Area (; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan areas in Portugal, metropolitan area in Portugal centered on Lisbon, the capital and largest city of the country. The metropolitan area, covering 17 List of cities in Portuga ...

. Unlike his peers, he was not raised in a religion because his parents wanted him to choose his own. At 14, he became an enthusiastic Catholic, was baptised, and made his

first communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...

and

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

. He wanted to be a priest and attended the Penafirme Seminary, the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

of the

Patriarchate of Lisbon The Metropolitan Patriarchate of Lisbon () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or patriarchal archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Its archiepiscopal see is the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major, ...

, but said he did not continue his ecclesiastical formation because he fell in love. He graduated in law from the Law Faculty of

NOVA University Lisbon NOVA University Lisbon (, ), or just NOVA, is a Portuguese public university whose rectorate is located in Campolide, Lisbon. Founded in 1973, it is the newest of the public universities in the Portuguese capital city, earning its name as the "N ...

, with a

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designation for students, classes and curricula indicating the number of the year a student has reach ...

of 19 out of 20. As a law student he took part in the ERASMUS Programme in

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

, Spain. In 2013, he finished his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations and affairs between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that ...

from the Faculty of Law,

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, with a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

from the Portuguese national science foundation, the

Foundation for Science and Technology The Foundation for Science and Technology is a British charity, providing a neutral platform for debate of policy issues that have a science, technology or innovation element. Established in 1977, the Foundation brings together Parliamentar ...

. In the thesis, he criticised "criminal populism" and "stigmatisation of minorities", and revealed concern about the "expansion of police powers". In a 2019 interview to ''

Diário de Notícias () is a Portuguese weekly newspaper published in Lisbon, Portugal. Established since 1864, the paper is considered a newspaper of record for Portugal. History and profile ''Diário de Notícias'' was first published in Lisbon on 29 December 1 ...

'' addressing the apparent contradictions between the issues raised in his PhD thesis and his later political views, Ventura said he has "always made a distinction between science and opinion" and called his thesis "scientific analysis, not ideological postulate". He published two novels, ''Montenegro'' in 2008, and ''A Última Madrugada do Islão'' ("The Last Dawn of Islam") in 2009, both with significant elements of

female submission Female submission or femsub is an activity or relationship in which a woman submits to the direction of a sexual partner or has her body used sexually by or for the sexual pleasure of her partner. The expression is often associated with BDSM, whe ...

and

homoeroticism Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

. Notably, in ''Montenegro'', the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

word for uprising (

intifada Intifada () is an Arabic word for a rebellion or uprising, or a resistance movement. It can also be used to refer to a civilian uprising against oppression.Ute Meinel''Die Intifada im Ölscheichtum Bahrain: Hintergründe des Aufbegehrens von 19 ...

) is used four times: three times as a metaphor for strength and courage, and once when describing the act of

sexual penetration Sexual penetration is the insertion of a body part or other object into a body orifice, such as the mouth, vagina or anus, as part of human sexual activity or sexual behavior in non-human animals. The term is most commonly used in statute la ...

. The publication of ''A Última Madrugada do Islão'', a novel about the death of

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

, was suspended by the publishers, Chiado Editora, for its "incendiary potential", for its gratuitous references to

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and the leaders of the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinians, Palestinian people in both the occupied Pale ...

Career

He taught at the Autonomous University of Lisbon, from 2013 to 2019, and at NOVA, from 2016 to 2018. He worked at Caiado Guerreiro, a prominent Portuguese

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

, from 2018 to 2019, and was a consultant at Finpartner, a tax advising firm, for 9 months until 2020. He also had a

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

in the newspaper '' Correio da Manhã'', the most widely read daily newspaper in the country, and, from 2014 to 2020, was a football commentator representing

S.L. Benfica (), commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. Founded on 28 February 1904, as ''Sport Lisboa'', Benfica is one of the " ...

's point of view on the TV channel

CMTV Correio da Manhã TV (CMTV) is a private Portuguese generalist channel, with a strong focus on news - specially crime and sensationalist subjects - and football. It is operated by Medialivre Medialivre S.A. (formerly Cofina Media) is a Port ...

. He is also a jurist-consultant of the Tax Authority (AT) where he was employed from 2011 to 2014. As a Portuguese

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, he was granted leave from AT without pay since 2014 to teach and ultimately offer tax consultancy and advisory services in the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

, and had also previously enjoyed the right to be absent from his workplace in the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

due to his student-worker status as an international doctoral student until 2013. In an interview in July 2017, in response to Ventura's statements about Portuguese Romani people, José Pinto Coelho (leader of far-right and previously named

National Renewal Party Rise Up (, E), originally the National Renewal Party (, PNR) was a Portuguese far-right nationalist political party. Its motto is ''Nation and Work'' () and one of its goals consisted in the appreciation of a Portuguese nationalist spirit. The ...

) wrote that "unfortunately, it seems, some of 'my people' are still in the parties of the system". In another, Ventura said that he "vehemently repudiates the support of the far-right". In the course of the same campaign, Ventura made several controversial statements about the romani community in the municipality of Loures, having become the target of a criminal complaint presented by the opposing candidate from the Left Bloc, headed by Fabian Figueiredo. He is accused by Pinto Coelho of stealing the speech from the National Renewal Party. In October 2017, Ventura stated that he was ready to dispute the leadership of the PSD, in case nobody else advanced against Rui Rio. On 9 April 2019, he founded the political party Chega, and three days later he joined the Basta! coalition for the 2019 European Parliamentary Elections. Failing to elect any MEP, the coalition was dissolved on 30 July 2019. He ran in the

2019 Portuguese legislative election The 2019 Portuguese legislative election was held on 6 October 2019. All 230 seats to the Assembly of the Republic were contested. In a campaign dominated by the Tancos airbase robbery

s as the main candidate of Chega's

electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can c ...

for the

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

constituency; he was the party's first and single member to be elected to Parliament. He claims to have positions that are "economically liberal, culturally nationalist and conservative in matters of customs".

Member of the Assembly of the Republic

André Ventura was elected a member of the Assembly of the Republic for the

constituency in the

. He claims to be "the voice of common people" and an "anti-system politician". In September 2020, he presented a proposal to decrease the number of deputies from 230 to 100, which was ruled unconstitutional by the

Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees. In November, he renounces these proposals to accompany the PSD. In January 2020, he proposed a 5 to 7.5% decrease in Members' salaries. He provoked an outcry in Parliament in January 2020 by proposing that Joacine Katar Moreira, an Assembly member born in Guinea Bissau who said that museum items from Portugal's former colonies be returned, be similarly "returned to her country of origin". At the 2020 convention of the Chega party, he passed a motion at the party's 2020 convention calling for the removal of ovaries from women who have abortions. Facing protests, he then called for the motion to be dropped. Ventura was present at a Zero Movement protest in front of the Assembly. The Zero Movement is an unofficial police union that has been accused of political links to Ventura's party. The only politician to speak, he did so allegedly without an invitation from union leaders. He received a shower of applause. In November 2020, he was fined more than €400 for discrimination against romani communities. In December of the same year, he was ordered to pay €3,370 for ethnic discrimination in the form of harassment. Ventura, later in a press conference at the Assembly of the Republic, stated that he would not pay the fine: "to limit the freedom of expression of a citizen, a deputy of the nation and a political leader". Ventura criticised the Minister of Justice, Francisca Van Dunem, for the release of prisoners to ease COVID-19 transmissions, saying that the measure was an "infamy". Ventura criticised the state of emergency decree of 17 December 2020, saying:

"This is not really a state of emergency. It is a state of chaos over a state of chaos, which is destroying the lives of the Portuguese people without planning, that the only thing they have to give to the country is a Director of Health who says to have breakfast at Christmas and
his His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, ...
will solve your problems."

On 22 December 2020, Ventura requested the temporary suspension of his term in the Assembly to run in the 2021 Portuguese presidential election but this suspension was prevented by the Parliament on 29 December. On 31 December, after the decision of the majority of the parliamentary groups not to authorise the suspension of mandate, Ventura advanced with a subpoena against the Assembly of the Republic and Ferro Rodrigues, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic, in the Supreme Administrative Court of Portugal.

2021 presidential campaign

On 8 February 2020, in Portalegre, Ventura announced his candidacy for the office of

President of the Republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...

in the 2021 election. Ventura invited actress Maria Vieira to be his campaign director (''mandatária'') for the Portuguese communities abroad and chose Patrícia Sousa Uva (ex-member of Chega) to be the national director. Subsequently, with the resignation of the latter, Ventura invited Rui Paulo Sousa, 7th member of the national board, to become the national campaign director. On 18 December 2020, Ventura handed 10,250 signatures of proponents to the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...

, as legally required to formalise his candidacy for Belém Palace. On 30 December, his candidacy was formally accepted by the Constitutional Court. At the beginning of the electoral campaign, the president of the French

National Rally The National Rally (, , RN), known as the National Front from 1972 to 2018 (, , FN), is a French far-right politics, far-right political party, described as right-wing populist and French nationalism, nationalist. It is the single largest Nat ...

party,

Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...

, confirmed that she would go to Lisbon to support Ventura's presidential candidacy. In a televised debate against incumbent

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa Marcelo Nuno Duarte Rebelo de Sousa (; born 12 December 1948) is a Portuguese politician and academic who is the president of Portugal since 2016. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party, though he suspended his party membership for the ...

, Ventura showed a photograph of the president in the Bairro da Jamaica, a poor and largely black neighborhood in Amora,

Setúbal District The District of Setúbal ( ) is a district located in the south-west of Portugal. It is named for its capital, the city of Setúbal. Geography It is delimited by Lisbon District and Santarém District on the north, Évora District on the eas ...

, where there had been tensions with the police. He accused the president of not being truly right-wing, and called the black residents in the photograph "bandits". In September 2021, a Portuguese court convicted Ventura for

social segregation Geographical segregation exists whenever the proportions of population rates of two or more populations are not homogeneous throughout a defined space. Populations can be considered any plant or animal species, human genders, followers of a certai ...

in the aftermath of these events related to Bairro da Jamaica. Ventura came third with 11.9% of the vote, behind Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (60.7%) and the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

’s Ana Gomes (12.9%).

Political views

Ventura has expressed controversial views in the past, whilst the majority of international media refer to his ideology as being far-right. Ventura categorizes himself as an " economic liberal,

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

". Many of his statements on social issues are said to be anti-Romani,

Islamophobic Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

and

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

by the

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public. These include News agency, news agencies, newspapers, news magazines, News broadcasting, news channels etc. History Some of the fir ...

. In a TV debate in 2024,

Luís Montenegro Luís Filipe Montenegro Cardoso de Morais Esteves (; born 16 February 1973) is a Portuguese politician and lawyer serving as the prime minister of Portugal since April 2024. He is the president of the Social Democratic Party (Portugal), Social De ...

called Ventura "xenophobic, racist and demagogic". About

António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese statesman, academic, and economist who served as Portugal's President of the Council of Ministers of Portugal, President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1 ...

, Portuguese dictator during the Estado Novo regime, André Ventura said: "The Republic led by Dr. António de Oliveira Salazar, for most of the time, also didn't solve he country's problemsand set us back a long way in various aspects. It didn't allow us to have the

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

that we could have had, especially in the post-World War II framework. Portugal could have developed extraordinarily well and we fell behind, just like the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

". Under Ventura's leadership, the Chega party has been the target of critics who underline the party's extreme views on various subjects, some of which include the negative comments regarding immigration and minorities, namely the

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

and some black communities subjected to

ghettoization A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

living in problematic neighborhoods associated with high

crime rates Crime statistics refer to systematic, quantitative results about crime, as opposed to crime news or anecdotes. Notably, crime statistics can be the result of two rather different processes: * scientific research, such as criminological studies, vi ...

that André Ventura, the party's founder, described at one time as bandits and for which he was convicted by the courts of justice. Ventura's comments on Romani people are often described as racist and xenophobic. On being compared negatively to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

, Ventura responded "I am very accustomed to that and it doesn't worry me. These are the ideas that I believe in. In addition to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

and

chemical castration Chemical castration is castration via anaphrodisiac drugs, whether to reduce libido and sexual activity, management of cancer, to treat cancer, or otherwise. Unlike orchiectomy, surgical castration, where the gonads are removed through an incision ...

, I also want a reduction in Islamic migration, especially from countries known for terrorism". Ventura attended Trump's January 2025 inauguration and has embraced the support of Bolsonaro. Ventura supports some rights for gay people, but he believes that same-sex couples should be in

civil partnerships A civil union (also known as a Civil partnership in the United Kingdom, civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for Same-sex relationship, same-sex couples. Civi ...

and not marriages. He is personally opposed to

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, but does not want the procedure to be criminalised for women. He supports the legalisation and regularisation of

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

as a way to protect and integrate sex workers. However, he believes that legalisation of recreational drugs increases drug traffic. He is personally opposed to

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

, but opposes its sudden abolition due to the economic role it plays in some towns. In May 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal The COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal was a part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). On 2 March 2020, the virus was confirmed to have reached the country when it was re ...

, Ventura proposed a specific containment plan for the Romani community. He was lambasted for this proposal by professional footballer

Ricardo Quaresma Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo (; born 26 September 1983) is a Portuguese former professional association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger. He began his career at Sporting CP and went on to play for ...

, of Romani descent. In June 2020, Ventura organised a counter-protest the day after anti-racist concentrations were announced in honour of actor Bruno Candé, victim of a premeditated homicide. This counter-protest was made under the motto "Portugal is not racist", denying the allegation of racism in Portugal and condemning the "

politically correct "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...

" associations and affirming that the counter-protest "is a manifestation of everything but white supremacy". He has spoken in admiration of

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (, ; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a 2018 vote of no confidence in the government of Mariano Rajoy, vote of no confidence ousted his government. A m ...

, conservative former

prime minister of Spain The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government (), is the head of government of Spain. The prime minister nominates the Spanish government departments, ministers and chairs the Council of Ministers (Spain), Council of Mini ...

. Ventura signed the '' Madrid Charter'', a document drafted by the Spanish party Vox that describes far left-wing groups as enemies of

Ibero-America Ibero-America (, ) or Iberian America is generally considered to be the region in the Americas comprising countries or territories where Spanish or Portuguese are predominant languages (usually former colony, territories of Spain or Portugal). Sp ...

involved in a "criminal project" that are "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime". On 24 February 2022, Twitter permanently suspended Ventura's account for violating the rules of the social network regarding the "conduct of propagating hate". Shortly after, the suspension of his account was lifted. Changing and evolving the focus of his speech, Ventura has expressed views in which he says that he doesn't want immigrants unable to integrate and dedicated to a life of marginalization and economic deprivation for themselves and their children, perpetuating cycles of poverty and crime, and constraining the Portuguese welfare state, the

national health service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

, the security forces, wages and housing in the country.

Personal life

André Ventura is married to Dina Sofia Marques Nunes Ventura, a children's

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

at a hospital in Lisbon, who met André Ventura after he had left law school at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. They are

childless ''Childless'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Charlie Levi and starring Barbara Hershey, Joe Mantegna, James Naughton and Diane Venora. The sudden passing of a teenage girl unsettles the four adults in her life. Jarred by ...

but he wants to be a father someday. Mário Rui Leal Pedras, a priest of the Lisbon Patriarchate in the churches of São Nicolau and Santa Maria Madalena, located in Lisbon's Baixa Pombalina, who celebrated the

Catholic wedding Marriage in the Catholic Church, also known as holy matrimony, is the "covenant by which a man and woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procre ...

of Ventura, is his

confessor In a number of Christian traditions, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, a confessor is a priest who hears the confessions of penitents and pronounces absolution. History During the Diocletianic Persecut ...

and

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...

since when Ventura was still a university student. In 2025, Ventura said his path had been guided by a "divine mission". He is a supporter of S.L. Benfica. Ventura spoke in 2024 of

Matteo Salvini Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been List of F ...

being "a very good friend" and of having "a great relation" with

Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...

Electoral history

Loures City Council election, 2017

, - ! colspan="2" , Party ! Candidate ! align="center" style="width: 50px", Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % ! align="center" style="width: 50px", Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px", +/− , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left , Bernardino Soares , , 28,701 , , 32.8 , , 4 , , style="color:red;", –1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PS , align=left , Sónia Paixão , , 24,737 , , 28.2 , , 4 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PSD/ PPM , align=left , André Ventura , , 18,877 , , 21.5 , , 3 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", BE , align=left , Fabian Figueiredo , , 3,107 , , 3.5 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDS–PP , align=left , Pedro Pestana Bastos , , 2,508 , , 2.9 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

PCTP/MRPP The Portuguese Workers' Communist Party/Re-Organized Movement of the Party of the Proletariat (, PCTP/MRPP) is a Maoist political party in Portugal. History and overview The party was founded in 1970 as the (MRPP), led by Arnaldo de Matos. ...

, align=left , João Resa , , 2,232 , , 2.5 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , style="background:teal;", , align="left", PAN , align=left , Ana Sofia da Silva , , 1,824 , , 2.1 , , 1 , , ''new'' , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 1,452 , , 1.7 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 4,162 , , 4.8 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 87,600 , , 52.31 , , 11 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Autárquicas 2017

European Parliament election, 2019

, - ! colspan="2" , Party ! Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % ! align="center" style="width: 50px", Seats ! align="center" style="width: 50px", +/− , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PS , align=left , Pedro Marques , , 1,104,694 , , 33.4 , , 9 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PSD , align=left ,

Paulo Rangel Paulo Artur dos Santos Castro de Campos Rangel (born 18 February 1968) is a Portuguese jurist and politician of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2024, in the XXIV Constitutional Government, led by ...

, , 725,399 , , 21.9 , , 6 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", BE , align=left , Marisa Matias , , 325,093 , , 9.8 , , 2 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left , João Ferreira , , 228,045 , , 6.9 , , 2 , , style="color:red;", –1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDS–PP , align=left , Nuno Melo , , 204,792 , , 6.2 , , 1 , , ±0 , - , style="background:teal;", , align="left", PAN , align=left ,

Francisco Guerreiro Francisco Guerreiro (born 12 September 1984) is a Portuguese politician currently serving as an independent Member of the European Parliament for Portugal, having been elected whilst standing as a candidate for People Animals Nature. Biography ...

, , 168,015 , , 5.1 , , 1 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , style="background:#6AD1E3;", , align="left",

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

, align=left , Paulo Sande , , 61,652 , , 1.9 , , 0 , , ''new'' , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

Livre Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Fre ...

, align=left , Rui Tavares , , 60,446 , , 1.8 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , style="background:#202056;", , align="left", Basta! , align=left , André Ventura , , 49,388 , , 1.5 , , 0 , , ''new'' , - , style="background:gold;", , align="left", NC , align=left , Paulo de Morais , , 34,634 , , 1.1 , , 0 , , ''new'' , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 116,743 , , 2.7 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 235,748 , , 3.5 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 3,307,644 , , 30.75 , , 21 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Legislative election, 2019

António Costa António Luís Santos da Costa (; born 17 July 1961) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who has served as President of the European Council since 2024. He previously served as the 118th prime minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024 and th ...

, , 1,903,687 , , 36.3 , , 108 , , style="color:green;", +22 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PSD , align=left , Rui Rio , , 1,454,283 , , 27.8 , , 79 , , style="color:red;", –10 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", BE , align=left , Catarina Martins , , 498,549 , , 9.5 , , 19 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left , Jerónimo de Sousa , , 332,018 , , 6.3 , , 12 , , style="color:red;", –5 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDS–PP , align=left , Assunção Cristas , , 221,094 , , 4.2 , , 5 , , style="color:red;", –13 , - , style="background:teal;", , align="left", PAN , align=left , André Silva , , 173,931 , , 3.3 , , 4 , , style="color:green;", +3 , - , style="background:#202056;", , align="left", Chega , align=left , André Ventura , , 67,502 , , 1.3 , , 1 , , ''new'' , - , style="background:;", , align="left", IL , align=left ,

Carlos Guimarães Pinto Carlos Manuel Guimarães Oliveira Pinto, better known as Carlos Guimarães Pinto (born in Espinho, Portugal, in 1983), is a Portuguese economist, author, university professor, think tank executive, blogger and politician. A prominent member of ...

, , 67,443 , , 1.3 , , 1 , , ''new'' , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

, align=left , Joacine Katar Moreira , , 56,940 , , 1.1 , , 1 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 207,162 , , 4.0 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 254,875 , , 4.9 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 5,237,484 , , 48.60 , , 230 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Presidential election, 2021

, - ! colspan="2" , Candidate ! Votes ! align="center" style="width: 50px", % , - , style="background:;", , align=left ,

, , 2,531,692 , , 60.7 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , Ana Gomes , , 540,823 , , 13.0 , - , style="background:#202056;", , align=left , André Ventura , , 497,746 , , 11.9 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , João Ferreira , , 179,764 , , 4.3 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , Marisa Matias , , 165,127 , , 4.0 , - , style="background:;", , align=left , Tiago Mayan Gonçalves , , 134,991 , , 3.2 , - , style="background:#00939d;", , align=left , Vitorino Silva , , 123,031 , , 3.0 , - , colspan="2" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 85,182 , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="2" align="left", Turnout , 4,258,356 , , 39.26 , - , colspan="4" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Legislative election, 2022

, , 2,302,601 , , 41.4 , , 120 , , style="color:green;", +12 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PSD , align=left , Rui Rio , , 1,618,381 , , 29.1 , , 77 , , style="color:red;", –2 , - , style="background:#202056;", , align="left", Chega , align=left , André Ventura , , 399,659 , , 7.2 , , 12 , , style="color:green;", +11 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", IL , align=left , João Cotrim Figueiredo , , 273,687, , 4.9 , , 8 , , style="color:green;", +7 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", BE , align=left , Catarina Martins , , 244,603 , , 4.4 , , 5 , , style="color:red;", –14 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left , Jerónimo de Sousa , , 238,920 , , 4.3 , , 6 , , style="color:red;", –6 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDS–PP , align=left , Rodrigues dos Santos , , 89,181 , , 1.6 , , 0 , , style="color:red;", –5 , - , style="background:teal;", , align="left", PAN , align=left ,

Inês Sousa Real Paula Inês Alves de Sousa Real (born 6 June 1980) is a Portuguese jurist and politician who is currently president of the People Animals Nature parliamentary group in the Assembly of the Republic. At the PAN convention on 6 June 2021, she was el ...

, , 88,152 , , 1.6 , , 1 , , style="color:red;", –3 , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

, align=left , Rui Tavares , , 71,232 , , 1.3 , , 1 , , ±0 , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 91,299 , , 1.6 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 146,824 , , 2.6 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 5,564,539 , , 51.46 , , 230 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Legislative election, 2024

, , 1,867,442 , , 28.8 , , 80 , , style="color:green;", +3 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PS , align=left , Pedro Nuno Santos , , 1,812,443 , , 28.0 , , 78 , , style="color:red;", –42 , - , style="background:#202056;", , align="left", Chega , align=left , André Ventura , , 1,169,781 , , 18.1 , , 50 , , style="color:green;", +38 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", IL , align=left ,

Rui Rocha Rui Nuno de Oliveira Garcia da Rocha (born 13 March 1970) is a Portuguese politician and member of the Assembly of the Republic who served as President of the Liberal Initiative from 2023 until 2025. Biography Born in Lobito, Portuguese Ango ...

, , 319,877 , , 4.9 , , 8 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", BE , align=left ,

Mariana Mortágua Mariana Rodrigues Mortágua (born 24 June 1986) is a Portuguese economist and politician who is the National Coordinator of the Left Bloc, serving since 28 May 2023. In 2013, she was elected to the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, replac ...

, , 282,314 , , 4.4 , , 5 , , ±0 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left ,

Paulo Raimundo Paulo Alexandre Cantigas Raimundo (born 24 September 1976) is a Portuguese politician who serves as the General Secretary of the Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party (, , PCP) is a Communism, communist and Marxism–Len ...

, , 205,551 , , 3.2 , , 4 , , style="color:red;", –2 , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

, align=left , Rui Tavares , , 204,875 , , 3.2 , , 4 , , style="color:green;", +3 , - , style="background:teal;", , align="left", PAN , align=left ,

, , 126,125 , , 2.0 , , 1 , , ±0 , - , style="background:#1D4E89;", , align="left", ADN , align=left , Bruno Fialho , , 102,134 , , 1.6 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 104,167 , , 1.6 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 282,243 , , 4.4 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 6,476,952 , , 59.90 , , 230 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Legislative election, 2025

, , 2,008,488 , , 31.8 , , 91 , , style="color:green;", +11 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", PS , align=left , Pedro Nuno Santos , , 1,442,546 , , 22.8 , , 58 , , style="color:red;", –20 , - , style="background:#202056;", , align="left", Chega , align=left , André Ventura , , 1,438,554 , , 22.8 , , 60 , , style="color:green;", +10 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", IL , align=left ,

, , 338,974 , , 5.4 , , 9 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left",

, align=left , Rui Tavares , , 257,291 , , 4.1 , , 6 , , style="color:green;", +2 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", CDU , align=left ,

, , 183,686 , , 2.9 , , 3 , , style="color:red;", –1 , - , style="background:;", , align="left", BE , align=left ,

, , 125,808 , , 2.0 , , 1 , , style="color:red;", –4 , - , style="background:teal;", , align="left", PAN , align=left ,

, , 86,930 , , 1.4 , , 1 , , ±0 , - , style="background:#1D4E89;", , align="left", ADN , align=left , Bruno Fialho , , 81,660 , , 1.3 , , 0 , , ±0 , - , style="background:white;", , colspan="2" align="left", Other parties , 95,384 , , 1.5 , , 1 , , style="color:green;", +1 , - , colspan="3" align="left", Blank/Invalid ballots , 260,648 , , 4.1 , , – , , – , - style="background-color:#E9E9E9" , colspan="3" align="left", Turnout , 6,319,969 , , 58.25 , , 230 , , ±0 , - , colspan="7" align=left, Source: Comissão Nacional de Eleições

Books

* ''Introdução à Fiscalidade'', e-book, Lisboa (2017) * ''Justiça, Corrupção e Jornalismo'' (co-authored with Miguel Fernandes), Vida Económica (2015) * ''A Nova Justiça Internacional, Chiado Editora, Lisboa'' (2015) * ''A Nova Administração Pública'' (inclui a nova Lei Geral do Trabalho em Funções Públicas anotada), Quid Juris, Lisboa (2014) * ''A Reforma do IRC'' (com António Carlos dos Santos), Vida Económica, Lisboa (2014) * ''Lições de Direito Fiscal'', Chiado Editora, Lisboa (2014) * ''Lições de Direito Penal'', Volume I, UAL / Instituto de Direito Publico / Chiado Editora (2013), Montenegro, com 2.ª ed. revista, pela Chiado Editora, Lisboa (2008) * ''A Última Madrugada do Islão'', Chiado Editora, Lisboa (2009)

References

External links

André Ventura's Curriculum Vitae

Meet André Ventura – President of Chega
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ventura, Andre 1983 births Academic staff of NOVA University Lisbon Alumni of University College Cork Anti-Islam sentiment in Portugal Antiziganism in Portugal Candidates for President of Portugal Chega politicians Living people Members of the 14th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 15th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) Members of the 16th Assembly of the Republic (Portugal) NOVA University Lisbon alumni People from Sintra Portuguese association football commentators Portuguese civil servants Portuguese political party founders Portuguese Roman Catholics Right-wing populism in Europe