Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles, a commentator for CNN Portugal, reflects on whether the passage of Storm Kristin could have any impact on the outcome of the second round of the presidential election.
Chega positions itself within the international climate‑change denial movement
Sunday, 1 February 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Storm Kristin is a named storm that recently hit parts of Portugal, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that caused roof collapses, flooding and other damage. Local authorities have issued safety warnings and emergency responses; residents should follow civil protection advice, avoid damaged buildings and stay away from flooded areas.
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.
