The leader of Chega indicated today that if the changes to labour legislation were voted on now, the party would be against them and considered that the general strike shows the “Government's failure” in the negotiations.
If labour reform were voted on now, Chega would be against it, says André Ventura
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
- Montenegro: Government has already yielded on "all the main pillars" and will not abandon its convictions regarding the labour package • dn.pt
- Montenegro rejects "stubbornness" regarding labour reform • rtp.pt
- UGT rejects ultimatums and blackmail to approve labour reform • rtp.pt
- Opposition out in force on May Day against labour law reform • rtp.pt
- Left calls for the collapse of the labour package on a May Day marked by strike announcement • publico.pt






