"The six-year-old nationalist party, whose name means Enough, took control of three city halls: Sao Vicente on the island of Madeira; the central town of Entroncamento; and Albufeira in the south. It won a 11.86% share of the overall vote. But Chega's leader, Andre Ventura, admitted we wanted more and said Sunday's elections had not given the party the victory we wanted."
"Some pre-election polls had put Chega ahead in the national vote for the first time, and it had hoped its cocktail of populist policies, including stricter immigration controls and chemical castration for paedophiles, might help it win 30 municipalities. Chega won almost 23% of the vote in parliamentary elections, giving it 60 MPs and making it Portugal's official opposition party."
"Ventura, a former columnist and football pundit, put on a brave face on Monday morning, telling supporters the results were a great victory for Chega, which was expanding to become a party with a municipal base. It almost trebled its vote share from the previous local elections in 2021, and will play a significant role in shaping policy in several councils."
Chega secured three municipal mayoralties in Sao Vicente, Entroncamento, and Albufeira while obtaining 11.86% of the national local vote. The party previously won almost 23% in parliamentary elections, earning 60 MPs and official opposition status. Chega campaigned on populist measures including stricter immigration controls and chemical castration for paedophiles and had aimed for many more municipal wins. Leader Andre Ventura acknowledged unmet ambitions but framed the results as municipal expansion. The party nearly trebled its local vote since 2021, won strong pluralities in captured towns, yet lost key targets such as Faro and Sintra.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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