Chega calls for protest against Lula da Silva outside Belém Palace

Monday, 20 April 2026RSS
Chega calls for protest against Lula da Silva outside Belém Palace

The Chega party has organised a protest against the visit of Brazilian President Lula da Silva to Portugal, with a demonstration scheduled for Tuesday at 12:30 PM in front of the Belém Palace. Lula da Silva is set to arrive in Lisbon following visits to Spain and Germany, where he will meet with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and President António José Seguro. The protest, led by André Ventura, aims to voice opposition to the Brazilian president's visit and alleged corruption. Meanwhile, supporters from the Workers' Party (PT) in Lisbon have also mobilised to show their support, setting the stage for a confrontation between opposing groups near the palace. The event echoes previous tensions during Lula's 2023 visit, where Chega deputies protested inside the Parliament.

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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