Marco Almeida has appointed Pedro Magrinho, a former Chega candidate in legislative and local elections, as the head of the Sintra Municipal Police Division. In an official order, the Mayor of Sintra stated that the appointment is necessary to ensure the management and coordination of the division, noting that Magrinho meets the legal requirements and is a coordinating chief in the Public Security Police (PSP) personnel map. Magrinho, who previously served as a police officer and union leader, has faced controversy in the past regarding his political candidacies while serving in the police force. The appointment follows a broader expansion of municipal leadership roles in Sintra, which saw the creation of 29 new positions, including 17 new division head roles, approved by the ruling coalition.
Sintra: Marco Almeida appoints Chega local election candidate as head of municipal police division
Context & Explainers
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.
