Defence Minister Nuno Melo Downplays Mobile Phone Cyberattack

Thursday, 5 November 2026AI summary
Defence Minister Nuno Melo Downplays Mobile Phone Cyberattack
Photo: CNN Portugal

Minister of National Defence Nuno Melo downplayed a cyberattack targeting his personal mobile phone, telling parliament that no public official is completely immune to electronic intrusions. Speaking during debates on the State Budget (Orçamento do Estado), Melo explained he disclosed the incident for educational reasons to outline security risks when software updates are neglected on smartphones. Melo faced questioning on the breach from Chega deputy Nuno Simões de Melo during the committee hearing.

Context & Explainers

Nuno Melo is the leader of CDS-PP (Centro Democrático e Social – Partido Popular), a Christian democratic party on Portugal’s centre-right, and Minister of National Defence in Luís Montenegro’s government, where CDS-PP governs in coalition with the PSD. He was previously a Member of the European Parliament.

Chega

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.