Former Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has dismissed a proposal from the Chega party to lower the retirement age, calling the plan both absurd and unrealistic. During a session at the Nova School of Business and Economics, he also addressed broader concerns regarding the sustainability of social security and the current government's performance.
Passos Coelho criticizes Chega retirement proposal as unrealistic
Tuesday, 5 May 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Pedro Passos Coelho is a Portuguese politician who served as Prime Minister from 2011 to 2015 and led the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD). His choice to stay silent during the presidential run-off matters because, as a former PM and centre‑right leader, his endorsements or comments could influence PSD voters ahead of the 8 February vote.
André Ventura, born January 15, 1983, is a lawyer, academic, and Portugal's most prominent far-right leader. He founded Chega ("Enough") in 2019 after his PSD mayoral campaign attacked the Romani community. Chega surged from 1.3% in 2019 to 22.8% in May 2025, becoming parliament's second-largest party and making Ventura Leader of the Opposition.
His platform emphasizes immigration restrictions, law-and-order policies, constitutional reform, and contains inflammatory anti-Romani rhetoric that has triggered multiple discrimination convictions and investigations. Politically classified as far-right by international media, Ventura cultivates alliances with European far-right figures including Marine Le Pen and Santiago Abascal.
4 sources
- PCP: constitutional revision is "just smoke"observador.pt ·
- Passos considers Chega's proposal to lower the retirement age absurd: "Not even the socialists have the courage"expresso.pt ·
- Passos considers Chega's proposal to lower the retirement age absurd and unrealisticcnnportugal.iol.pt ·
- Pedro Passos Coelho considers Chega's proposal to lower the retirement age absurd and unrealisticdn.pt ·
