Portugal’s ruling centre-right party secured the most seats in the nation’s third general election within three years but again fell short of achieving a parliamentary majority, while the far-right Chega saw an increase in support.
This outcome poses a risk of prolonging political instability in the NATO and European Union member country as the bloc grapples with escalating global trade tensions and endeavors to bolster its defenses.
Almost complete official results indicated that Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s Democratic Alliance (AD) garnered 32.7% of the votes, with the Socialist Party (PS) and Chega nearly tied for second place.
As a result, the AD’s representation in the 230-seat parliament would rise to 89, short of the 116 seats needed for a governing majority.
The Socialists recorded 23.4%, marking their worst performance in decades, closely followed by Chega (“Enough”) at 22.6%, which would allocate 58 seats to each party.
Chega leader Andre Ventura celebrated the election night results, where his party nearly secured second place.
Even with support from the emerging business-friendly party Liberal Initiative (IL), which won nine seats, the AD would still require Chega’s backing to advance legislation.
Nevertheless, Mr. Montenegro, 52, a lawyer by profession, has dismissed any potential alliance with the anti-establishment party, labeling it “unreliable” and “unsuitable for governance.”
“It remains uncertain whether these results will lead to increased governability,” commented Marina Costa Lobo, a political scientist from the University of Lisbon, who called Chega “the big winner of the night.”
‘Nothing will be the same’
Chega’s support has grown in every general election since its establishment in 2019 by Andre Ventura, a former trainee priest who later became a television football commentator.
In the 2019 general election, the party secured 1.3% of the vote, earning its first parliamentary seat—marking the first instance of a far-right party gaining representation in Portugal’s parliament since a coup in 1974 that ended a long-standing rightist dictatorship.
Chega emerged as the third-largest political force in the subsequent general election in 2022 and quadrupled its parliamentary seats last year to 50, solidifying its position in Portugal’s political landscape and reflecting similar trends seen with comparable parties across Europe.
Four seats remain to be allocated for representatives of Portuguese citizens living abroad, and Mr. Ventura expressed confidence that Chega would secure a few, potentially becoming the country’s second major political force, surpassing the Socialists.
“Nothing will ever be the same again,” Mr. Ventura declared to his supporters, who chanted, “Portugal is ours and it always will be.”
Yesterday’s election was triggered by Mr. Montenegro’s loss in a parliamentary vote of confidence in March, following less than a year in power.
He requested the vote amid allegations of conflicts of interest involving his family’s consultancy business, which has several clients tied to government contracts.
Mr. Montenegro denied any misconduct, asserting that he was not involved in the everyday operations of the firm.
Tighter immigration rules
The AD formed a minority government after the last election, successfully passing a budget that increased pensions and public sector wages while reducing income taxes for young citizens, thanks to the PS’s abstention on pivotal votes in parliament.
However, relations between the two major parties have deteriorated following the confidence vote, leaving uncertainty regarding whether a weakened PS will permit the centre-right to govern this time.
Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, a 48-year-old economist, accused Mr. Montenegro of orchestrating the election “to avoid addressing” his firm’s activities during a parliamentary inquiry.
After the results were revealed, he announced plans to initiate an internal party election to select a new leader.
Mr. Montenegro has criticized the immigration policies of the previous Socialist government, claiming it left Portugal in “bedlam.”
Under the Socialist Party, Portugal became one of Europe’s most welcoming nations for immigrants.
From 2017 to 2024, the population of foreign residents in Portugal quadrupled, account for around 15% of the total population.
Since then, Mr. Montenegro has implemented stricter immigration policies, and during the campaign, his administration announced the expulsion of approximately 18,000 irregular migrants, prompting critics to accuse it of appealing to far-right voters.
