The councillor does not respond to Rita Matias's call for resignation. Chega local officials in Lisbon criticise Mascarenhas. Moedas, who appointed (and dismissed) Livermore, tries to stay on the sidelines of the controversy.
Chega in Lisbon pushes Mascarenhas towards the exit
Tuesday, 17 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The Lisbon City Council (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa) is the executive governing body of Portugal's capital, composed of 17 elected councilors representing different political forces, led by a mayor (currently Carlos Moedas). Its mission is to define and implement policies promoting municipal development across diverse sectors. The Council's responsibilities include: urban planning and construction; social services and housing; education and culture; environmental protection; waste management; public health; transport and mobility; heritage conservation; civil protection; economic development; tourism; sports and leisure; municipal police oversight; and managing public spaces, roads, and infrastructure. Operating under the Ministry of Internal Affairs framework, the Council manages 24 parishes (reduced from 53 in 2012), implements affordable rent programs, collects municipal tourist taxes, issues building permits, maintains allotments and green spaces, and coordinates emergency response systems. As Portugal's largest municipality, Lisbon City Council plays a central role in shaping the capital's development, quality of life, and cultural identity.
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.
