Democratic Alliance (AD) leader Luis Montenegro addressed supporters at the party’s election night headquarters in Lisbon on March 10, 2024, celebrating his victory.
Miguel Riopa | AFP | Getty Images
Portugal’s far-right Chega party gained significant support in the country’s snap election on Sunday, reflecting a broader shift to the radical right across Europe.
Portugal’s centre-right Democratic Union won the vote, winning 79 seats in the country’s 230-seat National Assembly, falling well short of a parliamentary majority. The current center-left Socialist Party follows with 77 seats.
As a result, the Chega party’s representation in parliament quadrupled to at least 48 MPs, giving right-wing parties a joint majority.
The result means Chega could play an influential role in the formation of the new government.
Luis Montenegro, chairman of the Social Democratic Party, which leads the Democratic Alliance, had previously ruled out co-governing with Chega and reiterated that stance early on Monday.
Earlier, leader Pedro Nuno Santos of the left-leaning Socialist Party admitted defeat and said the party, which has been in power since 2015, would not support the Democratic Alliance’s platform.
Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos speaks to supporters at the party’s election night event in Lisbon on March 10, 2024.
Patricia De Melo Moreira | Patricia De Melo Moreira AFP | Getty Images
Chega leader Andre Ventura told reporters that Sunday’s vote “clearly shows that the Portuguese want to form an AD (Democratic Alliance) government with Chega”. According to Reuters. Ventura said he would be responsible for any political instability if Montenegro refused to negotiate with Chega.
The party’s political victory once again proved A continent-wide political shift to the right. Observers have been keeping a close eye on Portugal’s election results as a potential frontrunner ahead of June’s European Parliament elections.
Portugal’s general election takes place on Sunday, following the sudden resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa in November amid a corruption investigation.
Trends across Europe
Vincent Valentim, a political scientist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, described the vote as “somewhat a defining moment for this country.”
In an article published by Valentim on the social media platform explain Monday: “Yesterday’s Portuguese elections highlighted a common trend: support for the far right tends to grow very quickly.”
Valentim said recent surges in support for far-right parties such as Portugal’s Chega, Greece’s Golden Dawn, France’s National Front and Spain’s Vox could be at least partly attributed to the normalization process.
Chega leader Andre Ventura addresses supporters at the Lisbon Marriott Hotel during the party’s election night event on March 10, 2024 in Lisbon.
André Díaz Nobre | AFP | Getty Images
“Many people already have far-right views but they don’t express them because they fear social ostracism,” he added.
“As a result, far-right leaders are mostly so low-skilled that they cannot even mobilize voters who agree with them privately. However, once skilled politicians join the far-right (like Ventura in Portugal), they are able to attract support from these voters. “
Valentim said the growth in support for far-right parties across Europe “does not require an actual change in people’s political preferences”, saying it was a long-term process. Instead, “it’s just asking people to[start]acting on what they privately think.”
“A huge success”
Far-right parties across Europe congratulated Cega’s Ventura on a significant advance in Sunday’s vote.
Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s Vox party, said: “Congratulations to Andre Ventura on this great achievement.” explain Sunday via social media, according to Google Translate.
Maximilian Krah, Member of the European Parliament for the German Alternative explain Portugal’s Chega party “is achieving great success” when votes are counted on Sunday, according to a translator.
Harald Vilimsky, an MEP from Austria’s anti-immigration Freedom Party, also weighed in. Congratulations I’m done.
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