“This is not Bangladesh (but it looks like it)” and “Smile, we are being replaced” were the messages read at the Chega stand at Futurália. Those who attack school content aligned with constitutional values accept the exposure of adolescents to the violation of those values, presenting human groups as a threat. The normalisation began in Parliament, continues on the streets, and will be repeated in schools. A generation educated by social media and taught to accept racism as a point of view will offer us the tragedies of the future.
The future at Futurália: first it seems strange, then it becomes commonplace
Wednesday, 18 March 2026RSS
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.
