Politico speaks of a 'surprise victory' for the centre-left but notes that André Ventura, by 'securing almost a quarter' of the votes, shows 'how extraordinary' the growth of Chega in Portugal has been.
International press highlights the rise of the 'radical Ventura' and the 'surprise' Seguro
Monday, 19 January 2026RSS
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Other news coverage of this topic
- Seguro beats Ventura but cannot rely on the mainstream right in the run-off1:46am, 19 Jan 2026 • Público
- Seguro wins the first round and will face Ventura on 8 February2:25am, 19 Jan 2026 • Público
- Images from first-round election night2:02am, 19 Jan 2026 • Observador
- Presidential Election 2026 — election night minute by minute11:48pm, 18 Jan 2026 • RTP Notícias
- Seguro wins presidential first round and fights Ventura for Belém in the run-off1:30am, 19 Jan 2026 • Correio da Manhã
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.
