The Left Bloc (BE) is requesting an independent audit by the Inspectorate-General of Finance into appointments made by Carlos Moedas since the start of his term at Lisbon City Council. The request follows the controversy surrounding Mafalda Livermore, the girlfriend of Chega councillor Bruno Mascarenhas, who was appointed to Lisbon's social services and subsequently dismissed following an RTP report alleging she was illegally renting housing to immigrants and suspected of impersonating a lawyer. The Left Bloc suspects other appointments may have resulted from coordination between Carlos Moedas and Chega. Ricardo Moreira, a substitute councillor for the BE, told TSF that the audit is necessary to determine if there was an exchange of favours for votes, given the lack of transparency. The audit may be rejected as the left is in the minority. On Wednesday, Carlos Moedas stated he has no coalition with Chega and that the dismissal of Livermore is a matter for the Chega party.
BE calls for an audit of Carlos Moedas' appointments
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.
