Enough!
Chega!
PresidentAndré Ventura
Vice PresidentsAntónio Tânger Corrêa
Pedro Frazão
Marta Trindade
FounderAndré Ventura
Founded9 April 2019
Merger ofCitizenship and Christian Democracy (2020)
Split fromSocial Democratic Party
HeadquartersLisbon
Youth wingJuventude CHEGA
Membership (2021)40,000[1]
Ideology
Political position Right-wing to far-right
National affiliationBasta! (2019)
European affiliationIdentity and Democracy Party[6]
Colours  Dark blue
Assembly of the Republic
12 / 230
European Parliament
0 / 21
Regional parliaments
5 / 104
Local government
(Mayors)
0 / 308
Local government
(Parishes)
0 / 3,085
Website
partidochega.pt

Chega (Portuguese: [ˈʃeɣɐ]; officially stylised as CHEGA!; lit. 'Enough!') is a national conservative, right-wing populist political party in Portugal formed in 2019 by André Ventura. It is characterized as being between the right-wing[7] and far-right of the political spectrum.[8][9][10]

Its inclusion in the register of Portuguese political parties was accepted by the Constitutional Court on 9 April 2019.[11] On the 12th of April 2019, it announced that the head of its list to the European Parliament is Ventura. Chega was part of the Basta! coalition for the 2019 European Parliament election in Portugal.[12] In the 2019 Portuguese legislative election it won one seat in the Portuguese Parliament.[13] In the 2022 general election, receiving 7.2% of the vote, it increased its seat count to 12.[14]

Ideology

Chega considers itself a party with nationalist,[15] conservative and personalist roots.[16] It defends the promotion of an effective judicial system and the decrease of the State's intervention in the economy. The party also presents itself as national conservative and social conservative.[17]

The agenda of Chega is heavily focused on criminality issues, support for the police forces of the country, and the misuse of taxpayers' money in terms of corruption at the top, overstaffing in the civil service at the middle and undeserving welfare recipients at the bottom.[18][19]

The party advocates for a decrease of the tax incidence, considering the current tributary system to be "brutal and aggressive to the ones who work and build wealth, taking away half of their incomes". It additionally defends a reduction of both bureaucracy and the number of bureaucrats, asserting that it is one of the main reasons for the "Portuguese competitive economic backwardness".[16]

The party supports life imprisonment and chemical castration.[20] Some members also support the death penalty for crimes such as terrorism or child abuse; in a 2020 party referendum, 44% voted in favor.[21][22]

Describing itself a strong proponent of Western civilization, the party positions itself against Islamist extremism and proposes stronger border controls and a decrease of "mass and illegal immigration".[16] It has been also described as antiziganist.[23][24][25] The party supports integration measures for immigrants and states that all immigrants and foreign residents should be "obliged to respect our rules, rites, customs and traditions." It also supports bilateral agreements and immigration from former Portuguese colonies such as Brazil, Portuguese-speaking African countries, Macau and East Timor while taking a more critical stance on non-Western immigration. It also calls for a zero tolerance policy on illegal immigration and for the deportation of immigrants with criminal records or those who are economically inactive.[26] It is also opposed to multiculturalism and the practice of sharia law within the Portuguese legal system, but also claims to reject xenophobia on its platform.[27]

Chega's stance on the European Union has been described as Eurosceptic.[28] The party states that it supports the original "four freedoms" principle of free movement of goods, capital, services and people among member states, but argues for a "Europe of sovereign nations united by shared Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian principles" and opposes interference into national political decision making within member states by the EU. It also calls on Portugal to pursue more independent foreign and economic policies from Brussels and rejects compulsory EU migrant and refugee quotas. Furthermore, the party also argues that Portugal should exit the EU if it tries to become a federal state.[26]

Leadership elections

The 2020 Chega leadership election was held on 6 September 2020. André Ventura was re-elected with more than 99% of the vote, facing no opposition.[29][30] The party’s statutes have been rejected by the Constitutional Court several times for concentrating excessive power in the hands of Ventura.[31]

In 2020, it was reported that there was a "guerrilla atmosphere" within the party, the result of tensions between the different factions that make up the party.[32]

Critical response

Due to its anti-establishment, anti-immigration, anti-Islam and populist stances,[33] Chega has been the target of numerous critics who underline the party's extreme views on various subjects, some of which include the negative comments regarding immigration and minorities, namely the Romani community,[34][35] its opposition to certain aspects of the constitution,[36][37] its criticism of the judicial leniency regarding serious crimes,[38][39] and governmental over-expenditure with public services.[40]

In response to some of the mainstream criticism, the party's president, André Ventura, denounced the accusations of racism, claiming that Chega defends equal rights and duties, and that it "doesn't desire a country on which minorities can believe they have more rights than others simply for being minorities".[41] On 27 June 2020, the party organized a protest entitled "Portugal is not racist", where Ventura further mentioned that there is no structural racism in Portugal, and that the political left uses racism as a pretext to foment political agendas.[42]

The party has also been targeted with critics for reusing a slightly modified version of the motto of the Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar "Deus, Pátria, Família" (God, Fatherland, Family).[43][44] The party has been criticized for having supporters of Salazar within their ranks.[45][46]

The Global Project against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), an American NGO specialising in the study of extremist movements, warned in a 2023 report that Chega is an "anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-LGBT, anti-Roma, anti-Muslim and conspiratorial party". The organisation also highlights the presence of numerous white supremacists, identitarians and neo-Nazis in the party's ranks.[31] [47] A subsequent investigatory article by GPAHE found evidence of "more extreme" members in the Chega Youth group, including "white supremacists, fans of former dictator Antonio Salazar, and fascist sympathizers" including the President of the Coimbra branch João Antunes, the leader of the Porto branch Francisco Araujo, and Vila Nova de Famalicão leader Joana Pinto Azevedo.[48]

Election results

Assembly of the Republic

Vote share in the Portuguese legislative elections

Election Leader Votes  % Seats +/- Government
2019 André Ventura 67,826 1.3 (#7)
1 / 230
 New Opposition
2022 399,659 7.2 (#3)
12 / 230
 Increase 11 Opposition

European elections

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/-
2019 André Ventura Basta!
0 / 21
 Steady0

Regional Assemblies

Region Election Leader Votes  % Seats +/- Government
Azores 2020 Carlos Furtado 5,260 5.1 (#4)
2 / 57
 New Confidence and supply
Madeira 2023 Miguel Castro 12,029 8.9 (#4)
4 / 47
 Increase4 Opposition

Local elections

Election Leader Votes  % Councillors +/- Mayors +/- Assemblies +/- Parishes +/-
2021 André Ventura 208,178 4.2 (#5)
19 / 2,064
 New
0 / 308
 New
173 / 6,448
 New
205 / 26,797
 New

Presidential elections

Election Candidate Votes  %
2021 André Ventura 493,162 11.9 (#3)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Figueiredo, Inês André (10 March 2021). "Só um em cada cinco militantes do Chega inscritos nos cadernos eleitorais votou em Ventura". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Socialist Antonio Costa wins Portugal election, will continue 'contraption' coalition". Euronews. 7 October 2019.
  3. ↑ "Portugal's Socialists win election, now eye alliances". Star Tribune. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "CHEGA will stop subsidies for those who don't want to work" (in Portuguese). 18 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "For the immigrants everything is available, for our people that work as hard as they can there never is anything" (in Portuguese). 18 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Chega oficializa ligação à extrema direita europeia". www.sabado.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Livre makes history in Portugal: not just first black woman MP, but first man in a skirt". The Portugal Resident. 28 October 2019.
  8. ↑ Carvalho, Bruno Amaral de (12 April 2019). "A extrema-direita chega a Portugal?" [Has the far-right arrived in Portugal?]. Contacto (in Portuguese).
  9. ↑ Almeida, São José (26 January 2019). "Chega um partido populista de extrema-direita a Portugal" [A far-right populist party has arrived in Portugal]. Público (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  10. ↑ "'Politico' highlights poor adhesion of Portugal to the populist movement". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019. News article on the campaign for Europeans Elections refers to the meager chance that the coalition "Basta!" to elect a MEP and advances the reasons for the country to resist the wave of far-right that reached the rest of Europe.
  11. ↑ "TC > Partidos Políticos > Partidos registados e suas denominações, siglas e símbolos". www.tribunalconstitucional.pt.
  12. ↑ "Coligação BASTA assume que objetivo é eleger eurodeputados". Correio da Manhã (in European Portuguese). 21 December 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  13. ↑ Del Barrio, Javier (26 December 2019). "Partido de extrema direita português criado há seis meses ganha voz no Parlamento". El País (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "Resultados Globais Território Nacional e Estrangeiro". legislativas2022.mai.gov.pt (in European Portuguese). 30 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Portugal election result cements modest gains for Europe's centre-left". The Guardian. 7 October 2019.
  16. 1 2 3 "Manifesto". Partido Político CHEGA (in European Portuguese). 7 February 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Rainho, Vítor; Martinho, Beatriz. "André Ventura: 'Sou contra o aborto mas nunca condenaria uma mulher que aborta'". Jornal SOL. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  18. ↑ The rise of Chega and the end of Portuguese exceptionalism, London School of Economics (21 January 2021) https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2021/01/21/the-rise-of-chega-and-the-end-of-portuguese-exceptionalism/
  19. ↑ Chega "eclipsa" destruição da escola pública e do SNS do seu programa, Diário de Notícias (27 August 2021) https://www.dn.pt/politica/chega-eclipsa-destruicao-da-escola-publica-e-do-sns-do-seu-programa-14065470.html
  20. ↑ "Chega party proposes chemical castration for repeat rape offenders". www.theportugalnews.com. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "Chega militants fail death penalty and re-elect André Ventura". 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  22. ↑ https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:lCZzmR3WkEkJ:https://jornaleconomico.sapo.pt/en/news/eleicoes-diretas-do-chega-chamam-11-313-militantes-a-referendar-andre-ventura-e-a-pena-de-morte-633261+&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au
  23. ↑ "Pastoral dos Ciganos considera racistas e ilegais declarações de André Ventura". Observador. 8 September 2020.
  24. ↑ "Figuras públicas e associações repudiam afirmações de André Ventura sobre ciganos". Observador. 6 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Confinar ciganos? Quaresma responde a André Ventura: "A vida é demasiado preciosa para ouvirmos vozes de burros"". Radio Renascença. 6 May 2020.
  26. 1 2 "MANIFESTO FOR EUROPE". 15 August 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  27. ↑ "Founding Political Manifesto". 15 August 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  28. ↑ "The instinctive multilateralist: Portugal and the politics of cooperation". European Council on Foreign Relations. 2 October 2019.
  29. ↑ "André Ventura reeleito presidente do Chega com 99,1% dos votos". TVI24 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  30. ↑ Ralha, Leonardo (5 September 2020). "Eleições diretas do Chega chamam 11.313 militantes a "referendar" André Ventura e a pena de morte". O Jornal Económico (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  31. 1 2 "Portugal's third political force among prominent 'hate' organisations". www.euractiv.com. 27 June 2023.
  32. ↑ "Ameaças, jogos de poder e ligações perigosas do Chega". Visão (in European Portuguese). 9 December 2020.
  33. ↑ Mendes, Mariana S.; Dennison, James (19 June 2020). "Explaining the emergence of the radical right in Spain and Portugal: salience, stigma and supply". West European Politics. 44 (4): 752–775. doi:10.1080/01402382.2020.1777504. S2CID 225650718.
  34. ↑ Ribeiro, Gabriel (20 December 2020). "Ciganos, negros, islâmicos e Chega: a "mão invisível" do liberalismo social". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  35. ↑ Demony, Catarina (8 January 2021). "Reporters walk out on Portuguese, French far-right leaders over COVID-19 fears". Reuters. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  36. ↑ Vitorino, Sérgio (20 October 2020). "André Ventura quer mudar Constituição para atacar enriquecimento ilícito". Correio da Manhã (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  37. ↑ Ralha, Leonardo (14 October 2020). "Projeto de revisão constitucional do Chega quer impor trabalho comunitário a incendiários". Jornal Económico (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  38. ↑ "Chega diz que Estado tem de cortar despesa "supérflua"". TSF (in European Portuguese). 26 May 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  39. ↑ Monteiro, Ana (17 January 2020). "André Ventura: o candidato anti-sistema gerado pelo próprio sistema". Sic Notícias (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  40. ↑ Marchi, Riccardo (21 December 2019). "Um olhar exploratório sobre o partido Chega". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  41. ↑ Carlos, João (2 July 2020). ""Portugal não é um país racista, mas existe racismo em Portugal"". DW (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  42. ↑ "Chega manifestou-se em Lisboa para dizer que "Portugal não é racista"". Observador (in European Portuguese). 2 August 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  43. ↑ "Ventura adapta lema de Salazar: ″Deus, pátria, família e trabalho″". www.dn.pt (in European Portuguese). 28 November 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  44. ↑ "″Deus, Pátria e Família″: a frase do Estado Novo repetida no congresso do Chega". www.jn.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  45. ↑ "Vários deputados do Chega fazem referências a Salazar e ao Estado Novo". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  46. ↑ "Ventura mantém "total confiança pessoal e política" em deputados que elogiaram Salazar". www.sabado.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  47. ↑ "GPAHE report: Far-Right Hate and Extremist Groups in Portugal". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  48. ↑ Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (7 August 2023). "Portugal's Far-Right Party Chega's Youth Wing is Even More Extreme than Chega Itself". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
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