Parliamentary elections in Portugal: is change on the cards?
Portugal will elect a new parliament in snap electionson Sunday. The centre-right coalition Aliança Democrática (AD) is currently leading the polls against the Socialists (PS), who won an absolute majority in 2022. At the moment it does not look like either of the two major parties will be able to secure an absolute majority this time, however. Commentators are also concerned about high approval ratings of almost 17 percent for the right-wing populist Chega party.
Right-wing camp seeks to secure takeover
Público journalist Carmo Afonso criticises the centre-right Aliança Democrática's (AD) election campaign:
“The voters who cast their votes for the AD don't know what these votes will be used for, and have good reason to believe that it will be used to form a coalition with Chega. ... However, there are few concrete proposals. Moreover, the Socialist government has achieved remarkable results: Portugal has a strong rating with the [financial] agencies, a budget surplus, a decreasing public debt and economic growth that is above the European average. These results refute the typical arguments of the right. All that remains is the belief in a desire for change. And that all means are justified to gain power.”
Richer country, poorer people
The Socialist government's positive economic balance sheet has barely registered with Portuguese citizens, notes journalist Paulo Baldeia in Expresso:
“Aside from the widely known problems, such as difficulties in many public services and a lack of affordable housing, statistics also show that the purchasing power of the Portuguese workforce fell by an average of 5 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, and by 1.2 percent in 2023. ... The country is richer, but the majority of Portuguese people are poorer than in the year before. So once again it is clear: people's lives have not improved, but the situation of the country as a whole is much better. Will this be enough to win another election?”
Chega gaining ground again
Portuguese writer Dulce Maria Cardoso argues in El País that the socialist government has only fuelled the success of the right-wing populist Chega party:
“It took just two years for the far-right Chega party, founded in 2019, to gain political clout in Portugal. The Portuguese people's decision on 10 March will clearly show how they want to position themselves vis-à-vis Chega. This was also the case in the last parliamentary elections, which the Socialists won with an absolute majority. Their negligent and arrogant government has strengthened the populists. ... We are playing with fire to the point where it will all go up in flames.”