CDS‑PP leader Nuno Melo reiterated that his party will not support any presidential candidates, rejecting António José Seguro's socialism and André Ventura's populism. Melo likened Ventura to Donald Trump and controversially described Chega's positions as comparable to socialism, urging voters to vote according to their conscience.
Nuno Melo reiterates that CDS-PP does not support any of the candidates

Context & Explainers
Nuno Melo is the president of CDS-PP (Centro Democrático e Social – Partido Popular), a Christian democratic party in Portugal. In the story he linked Chega's position to socialism, compared André Ventura to Donald Trump, and urged party members to vote 'in conscience' in the presidential runoff on the 8th, a stance that could affect centre‑right voters.
The CDS–PP is the Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party (Centro Democrático e Social – Partido Popular), a small centre-right, Christian-democratic party founded in 1974. It often partners with the larger PSD in parliament; in February 2026 it voted with the PSD and IL to approve a housing package, so its parliamentary support can influence housing and other policy outcomes.
Paulo Portas is a Portuguese politician and the former leader of the CDS–PP (Centro Democrático e Social – Partido Popular). He often appears in media commentary—according to the story he used his weekly TVI slot to announce he will vote for António José Seguro in the presidential run-off.

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.
RSS source
Other news coverage of this topic
- Nuno Melo links Chega to socialism and urges people to vote according to their conscience11:01pm, 24 Jan 2026 • Expresso
- Nuno Melo links Chega to socialism and calls on voters to vote according to their conscience10:17pm, 24 Jan 2026 • Correio da Manhã
- Nuno Melo compares Ventura to Trump and likens Chega's positions to socialism9:28pm, 24 Jan 2026 • Diário de Notícias



