For the first time in 45 years, a right-wing populist party has entered into Portugal’s leftist dominated lawmaking body, The Assembly of the Republic.
Earlier this month, Portuguese parliamentary elections saw the election of one MP from the right-wing populist party Chega (Enough) – a party that was formed just five months before.
The leader of Chega, 36-year-old André Ventura, a former party member of the liberal-conservative Social Democratic Party (PSD) and law professor, is said to have single-handedly managed the party’s parliamentary campaign.
Ventura first moved into the political limelight in 2017 when he ran for mayor in the town of Loures, near Lisbon. His election campaign created controversy after he accused the Roma and Sinti communities of “living on subsidies” and thinking that they are “above of the rule of law”, La Razon reports.
Later, in June of 2019, Ventura – in a virtually unanimous vote – was deemed the party’s leader at Chega’s first convention. During the convention, Ventura promised that “there would be no alliances or coalitions with the center”.
Shortly after, Portugal’s left-wing media apparatus quickly branded Chega and Ventura as fascists, xenophobes, misogynists, and authoritarians.
However, despite the smear campaign that was carried out against him and his party, Chega and Ventura now occupy a seat in Portugal’s parliament.
Chega’s party platform is fiercely patriotic, economically liberal, and is opposed to mass migration, gender ideology, and abortion.
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