<p>Pedro Tadeu analyses the <a href="https://cnnportugal.iol.pt/videos/tracking-poll-dia-11-penultimo-dia-da-sondagem-diaria-e-e-assim-que-as-coisas-estao/696958900cf24e58d783c970">tracking poll</a> by CNN Portugal, which keeps André José Seguro, André Ventura and Cotrim de Figueiredo in the top three candidates in a technical tie for the lead.</p>
On the right, there is a battle between Cotrim and Marques Mendes to prevent André Ventura reaching the second round
Friday, 16 January 2026RSS
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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.
