A new center-right coalition is expected to take over the government of Portugal after elections saw center-right and far-right parties win the majority of the seats. The highlight of the evening came from the right-wing Chega party which, after being formed in 2019, saw its vote shares grom from 1.3 percent in 2019, to 7 percent in 2022, to now 18 percent in 2024.
The election highlights populist surges not just in Portugal, but also in other EU member states, causing some to either hope or fear a possible populist domination in this year’s EU elections.
Excerpt from europeanconservative.com
Portugal, 85.8% of freguesias counted:
AD-EPP|ECR: 30% (-1)
PS-S&D: 29%
CH-ID: 19%
IL-RE: 4% (+1)
BE-LEFT: 4% (+1)
CDU-LEFT|G/EFA: 3%
L-G/EFA: 2%
ADN-*: 2%
PAN-G/EFA: 2%+/- vs. 68.4% of freguesias counted pic.twitter.com/6mW4nGlUV4
— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) March 10, 2024
Portugal veered rightwards following November’s grift scandal that toppled the ruling socialists (PS), with Chega securing approximately 45 seats in the 230-seat parliament, unprecedented for a party founded only in 2019 in a historically left-wing state.
While the centre-right effectively retained its electoral base under the umbrella of the AD alliance, upstarts Chega appear to have eaten into one-third of the PS vote share.
2 thoughts on “Portugal Moves to the Center After Election”