Today it is truly unacceptable that someone who wants to be President of the Republic does not draw a clear line.
Ventura must distance himself

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.
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Other news coverage of this topic
- The Candidate and the Joker12:11am, 27 Jan 2026 • Observador
- Ventura seeking the popular vote against the elites10:23pm, 26 Jan 2026 • Observador
- Ventura says he is the people's candidate against the elites9:58pm, 26 Jan 2026 • CNN Portugal
- Ventura says he is 'against the elites' and dramatises his speech: 'They want to silence this movement'9:53pm, 26 Jan 2026 • RTP Notícias






