Portugal’s Political Future Uncertain

Written by Connor Foster | April 15, 2024

Luis Montenegro

The past several years have seen the rapid rise of right-leaning governments across Europe. This shift has occurred for a variety of reasons, including rising inflation, government mismanagement, and increasing numbers of migrants flooding into Europe. The most recent example of this phenomenon is the controversy that permeated Portugal’s recent election. The more moderate parties, including the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party, lost the trust of constituents amidst an onslaught of corruption scandals and economic hardships. Leading up to the election there was a sharp increase in support for the radical right populist party Chega, which left many worried about what the future would bring for Portuguese policy. 

The center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) coalition was able to barely beat out the Socialists by a narrow margin. However, Chega was able to substantially increase its seats in parliament from 12 to 50. AD is in a unique position at the moment with opposition from the Socialist party countering their moves but continuous pressure from Chega to push for stronger right-leaning policy decisions. This not only signals trouble for new prime minister and AD leader Luis Montenegro but also presents the issue of a far more divided Portugal. With populist ideals becoming ever more appealing to a disgruntled public Portugal runs the risk of following in the steps of other Western European countries who have turned to the rights in hopes of seeing positive change.