Chega party lawmaker Pedro Pinto claimed a group of anti-Ventura agitators had attempted to raid the hospital, which had been obliged to adopt extraordinary security measures to keep the far-right leader safe. But the hospital’s administrators denied the claims and said no incidents had taken place.
Doctors determined Ventura had suffered an esophegal spasm, a condition which leaves affected patients with severe stomach pains and is caused by abnormalities in the nerves that control the muscles used for swallowing.
The far-right leader was discharged within a few hours, but he was taken to a hospital again in Setúbal on Thursday after collapsing at a rally in Odemira.
After once again being discharged after a few hours, Ventura told the Portuguese press that doctors had advised him to “stop for a while.”
A spokesperson for Chega later announced that the politician would not attend the party’s final rallies ahead of Sunday’s vote.
In a video post on X recorded from his bed, Ventura on Friday urged supporters to keep fighting.
