Portugal’s inconclusive general election results mean weeks of political uncertainty ahead, and give fresh energy to Europe’s shift toward the radical right.
A surge in support for a populist party in Sunday’s ballot has placed the hard right at the heart of Portuguese politics. The close contest between two leading moderate parties remained unresolved as they awaited deciding results from voters abroad. Official results are due to be published within two weeks.
The rise of the Chega, or Enough, party — just five years old — has been stunning. It went from 12 seats in the 230-seat Parliament in a 2022 election to 48 seats now.
Sometimes it feels like the same script being deployed again and again. The “left”, which is really “center-right” spreads “freedom” and generates refugees en mass in the process, then the hard right rises to refuse those refugees created. It’s an endless loop with only bomb makers getting rich and everyone else suffers.