The far-right Chega party experienced a disappointing performance in Portugal’s recent local elections held on Sunday, failing to secure control over any major cities nationwide. Despite high expectations, Chega managed to win mayoralties only in three municipalities: Albufeira, Entroncamento, and São Vicente, located in the Algarve region, the Médio Tejo area, and Madeira, respectively.
While the party was unable to claim significant city leadership roles, it did increase its representation in municipal councils across the country, suggesting it may play a crucial role in local policymaking going forward. Party leader André Ventura remarked,
“this was a good night,”
but conceded that Chega had not achieved all of its goals. Chega fielded candidates in 307 of Portugal’s 308 municipalities, and although its support tripled compared to the previous local elections in 2021, the total number of votes garnered was less than half of what the party received during the recent snap parliamentary election five months ago.
Impacts of leadership presence
The electoral setback is particularly notable in areas such as Elvas and Sintra, where the party’s prominent influencer, Rita Matias, finished in third place. These results suggest a potential vulnerability for Chega when its charismatic leader Ventura is not directly featured on the ballot.
The election night also proved challenging for the Socialist Party, which faced defeats in closely contested races in Portugal’s two largest cities. In Lisbon, Socialist candidate Alexandra Leitão was unable to unseat the incumbent center-right Mayor Carlos Moedas. In Porto, conservative candidate Pedro Duarte triumphed over former MEP and Socialist candidate Manuel Pizarro. Despite predictions of defeat, Moedas secured 30,000 more votes than in 2021, demonstrating voter support despite ongoing investigations into a deadly funicular disaster that occurred last month. Reflecting on the outcome, Moedas stated,
“I asked to have just one more vote [than my rival], but the voters gave me 30,000 more.”
Shifts in local governance and future challenges
Although the Socialists managed significant victories in cities like Coimbra and Faro, they also suffered losses in smaller municipalities to the center-right Social Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Carneiro noted that the center-left received more votes than in the previous May snap parliamentary election, when Chega emerged as the leading opposition party. However, the latest results raise concerns for the Socialists ahead of the upcoming presidential election in January, where they will soon select a candidate to succeed outgoing President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Montenegro, celebrating his party’s increased presence in local governance with a majority across many city councils, is under pressure to address the ongoing housing crisis that has afflicted various regions, with soaring prices from Viana do Castelo to Vila Real de Santo António. The prime minister has earmarked €2.1 billion from the 2026 national budget to tackle housing issues and is urging mayors to efficiently utilize these funds to deliver results promptly.
Amidst a backdrop of heightened political engagement, nearly 60 percent of eligible voters participated in the election, the highest turnout for a local vote since 2005. This level of engagement likely reflects the significant stakes involved in what are considered some of the most competitive municipal elections in Portuguese history. With term limits and the recruitment of numerous mayors for national roles, nearly half of the country’s 308 municipalities had no incumbents running for reelection.
Looking ahead, Portuguese voters will soon return to the polls for the presidential election in January, where candidates will include Chega’s Ventura and Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who gained recognition for his role in managing the Covid vaccine rollout but faces skepticism from those wary of a military figure as head of state.
This article has been updated.