Parliamentary elections are underway in Portugal | 15 min. lt

A string of recent corruption scandals have tarnished the two decades-old alternating ruling parties, the center-left Socialist Party and the center-right Social Democratic Party, which forms a coalition called the Democratic Alliance with two smaller allies.

These traditional parties are still predicted to get the most votes.

Public disillusionment with mainstream politics predated corruption outrage. Low wages and the high cost of living have contributed to discontent, exacerbated last year by soaring inflation and interest rates, as well as the housing crisis and inadequate public health care.

This discontent has been further fueled by the nationalist right-wing populist party Chega (Ghana), which stands to benefit most from the current public mood.

Chega is predicted to become the third party with the most votes. The political shift to the right is already visible in other European countries. Spain and France have seen similar trends in recent years.

Chega may even play a decisive role if a larger party needs the support of smaller rivals to form a government.

Calls to vote

Portugal has 10.8 million. of registered voters, from 8 a.m. local time (10 a.m. Lithuanian time) who can cast their vote.

Preliminary voting results are expected within a few hours after polling stations close at 8 p.m. local (22:00 Lithuanian) time.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa urged people to vote because, according to him, uncertainty in the world threatens the country’s well-being.

In the previous elections in 2022, 51 percent participated in the elections. voters.

In a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, the president said the unpredictable outcome of European and US elections later this year, as well as the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, could bring more economic hardship.

He said that “in these difficult times, voting becomes more important.”

Sonia Ferreira, a 55-year-old finance executive who voted in Lisbon, said Sunday’s vote was crucial to stem the rise of far-right parties on the continent.

“We are seeing very extremist movements across the European Union and we all have to be very careful,” she said.

Early elections are being held because Socialist leader Antonio Costa resigned in November, having served as prime minister for eight years. He took this step because of a corruption investigation involving the head of his office. Costa himself has not been charged with any crimes.

The Social Democrats were also hit by a corruption scandal right before the campaign, which led to the resignation of two important party officials.

Concerns of voters

At the time, voters expressed concern about the standard of living in Portugal.

An influx of foreign property investors and tourists looking for short-term rentals has pushed up housing prices, especially in major cities such as the capital Lisbon.

The economy is also struggling. The Portuguese have long been among the lowest earners in Western Europe. Last year, they received an average of about 1.5 thousand per month. a salary of 10,000 euros before taxes – barely enough to rent a one-room apartment in Lisbon. Almost 3 million Portuguese earn less than 1 thousand euros per month.

At the time, the number of people without a family doctor assigned to them rose to 1.7 million last year. – this is the largest number in history. In 2022, this number reached 1.4 million.

Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, 46, the party’s prime ministerial candidate, is promising change in what he vaguely calls a “new push.” However, he did not cut ties with senior party members who served in previous governments.

Social Democrat leader Luis Montenegro, 51, who is likely to become prime minister if the Democratic Alliance wins, says he would include non-party people in his government, people he calls “enforcers.”

Andre Ventura, the leader of the Chega party, cleverly tapped into the discontent and attracted the support of young people on social networks. In 2019, Chega, which has been in existence for just five years, won the first place in the 230-seat Portuguese parliament. In 2022, it won 12 seats, and polls show that the number of their representatives in parliament could more than double during this vote.

Ventura, a former lawyer and TV football commentator, said he was prepared to drop some of his party’s most controversial proposals, such as chemical castration for some sex offenders and the introduction of life sentences, if it would pave the way for Chega to join a governing coalition with other right-of-center parties.

However, his insistence on national sovereignty rather than closer integration with the European Union and his plan to give the police the right to strike could derail his ambitions to enter a ruling coalition.