Portugal Politics Witnesses the Rise of Chega (Pro-Portugal Party)
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Portugal witnessed the political landscape changing. This happened after the pro-Portugal nationalist party came second in terms of seats in the national parliament. Therefore, the rise of Chega (Enough) is following similar trends in France, Germany, and other nations that are tired of mass immigration, gender identity politics, and globalism.
Andre Ventura (leader of Chega) said, “This is a profound change in the Portuguese political system.”
Accordingly, similar to Germany, the two ruling parties now face a serious challenge to the status quo of two-party power concentration. Hence, the mainstream center-left and center-right will seek to whip up hysteria.
AP News reports, “Leading the opposition is quite the accomplishment for a once-fringe party that competed in its first election six years ago, when it won one seat. It has surged recently with its hardline stance against immigration and with the inability of traditional parties to form lasting governments. The May 18th election was Portugal’s third in as many years.”
Chega won 60 of the 230 seats in the National Assembly. This compares with the 88 seats won by the center-right Democratic Alliance. However, second place is a major result for Chega.
The Atlantic Council reports, “The Socialist Party was the big loser on Sunday, securing only fifty-eight seats (down from seventy-eight) and losing more than 360,000 votes from 2024. This is an epic fall for a party that has been a staple of Portuguese politics since the transition to democracy in the 1970s. In the next government, PS—even if aligned with small left-wing parties—will not be able to outright block government initiatives, leaving the role of kingmaker to Chega.”
The Guardian reports, “The electoral campaign had focused on issues such as housing, public services and safety. Immigration – one of Chega’s priorities – has also risen up the agenda, and Montenegro’s caretaker government was recently accused of pandering to the far right after it announced the expulsion of 18,000 irregular migrants earlier this month.”
Nationalist parties in France and Germany are more entrenched despite the deeds of political collusion between other parties, the legal system, and mass media that demonize any party with nationalist tendencies.
It remains to be seen if Chega will mature and develop in Portugal in the long term.
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