A major breakthrough for national populists CHEGA! has made the party the second largest in the Portuguese national assembly.
Following the counting of votes from overseas, the once-dominant socialists (PS) were edged out, making CHEGA! the largest opposition party in parliament.
Portugal’s centrist Democratic Alliance (AD) prime minister, Luís Montenegro, finished first in the election 10 days ago, but without a working majority. Almost 32% of the vote gave him 91 seats in the 230-seat assembly.
Eyes then turned to the race for second place, where CHEGA! and the PS tied on 58 seats each. The official count of votes from Portuguese expatriates adds momentum to the populist wave across Europe.
CHEGA! leader André Ventura posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the political system had “changed forever today”:
What a great victory!!! Thank you to all the Portuguese who trusted us! … This historic victory is also yours, it is Portugal’s!