The far-right party Chega performed well below expectations in the municipal elections held this Sunday (12) in Portugal. The party, led by André Ventura, won only three of the 308 city halls in dispute — a number much lower than the approximately 30 expected by party leaders. Even so, Chega maintains a relevant presence in the Portuguese political scene.
The party obtained 12% of the valid votes, less than the 23% achieved in the parliamentary elections five months ago, when it became the country’s main opposition force. The result represents a slowdown in Chega’s rise, which had been expanding its influence since the entry of its first representative into Parliament, in 2019.
The center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) was the big winner of the election, winning 136 city halls — including Lisbon and Porto — and expanding its presence in relation to the 114 obtained in the previous elections. The center-left Socialist Party (PS) was close behind, with 128 city halls.
Despite having obtained the third highest number of votes among all parties, Chega was behind even independent candidates, who won in 20 municipalities, and the Communist Party, which won 12.
Ventura acknowledged the poor performance and stated that the party still needs to consolidate a solid base at the local level to achieve national power. “Today we took a first step in that direction, but we are still far from achieving this goal”, said the leader of the party after the result.
Founded with a discourse aimed against corruption and immigration, Chega has defended moral and ethnic-nationalist agendas, such as the end of the so-called “gender ideology” in schools, the cut in social spending on gypsy communities and the restriction of the entry of foreigners — positions that bring it closer to other European far-right parties, such as Réunion National, from France, and the AfD, from Germany.
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/10/13/extrema-direita-portuguesa-sofre-reves-em-eleicoes-locais-e-conquista-apenas-tres-prefeituras/
