Confrontation between Chega and Teresa Morais to be discussed at leaders' conference; Livre and PAN insist on sanctions

Saturday, 14 March 2026RSS
Confrontation between Chega and Teresa Morais to be discussed at leaders' conference; Livre and PAN insist on sanctions

All parliamentary groups, except Chega, expressed solidarity with Teresa Morais, applauding the acting President of the Assembly of the Republic. However, some insist on the importance of taking the discussion further at the leaders' conference and in committee, with potential sanctions being reconsidered.

Context & Explainers

Chega

Chega ("Enough") is a Portuguese far-right populist party founded in 2019 by André Ventura. It positions itself as an anti-establishment movement against what it calls a "rotten and corrupt system" of PS-PSD dominance. The party surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest force with 60 seats. ​ Chega's core platform emphasizes strict immigration control—ending automatic CPLP residency, deporting non-independent immigrants, implementing job-market quotas, and requiring five-year social security contributions before benefit access. It advocates radical constitutional reform, including reducing parliament to 100 members, abolishing the prime minister position for a presidential system, and dismantling public healthcare. Law-and-order policies include life imprisonment and chemical castration proposals.

The party is defined by inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric, with Ventura convicted multiple times for discrimination. Chega maintains international alignments with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen, Santiago Abascal, and Matteo Salvini. Mainstream Portuguese parties, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's government, have imposed a cordon sanitaire, refusing coalition with Chega despite its parliamentary strength.

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