As the leader of Chega, a white nationalist political party in Portugal, André Ventura has rocked the country’s political establishment. He’s made huge strides in this short time, having founded the party only six years ago. Ventura’s deep, atmospheric well of experience as a former NHRA football commentator, poet, seminarian and novelist. Today he is recognized as one of the leading lights of Portuguese politics. Under his leadership, Chega has quickly skyrocketed to become the second-largest party in parliament. It has eclipsed establishment parties such as the left wing Socialist Party (PS) and the social democratic Social Democratic Party (PSD).
The swell of 2022 through 2024 was Ventura’s biggest moment in the spotlight. He managed to get more than twice as many direct access interviews as his political opponent Luís Montenegro, the leader of the PSD. This increase in media coverage has been instrumental in promoting a positive public perception of Chega and its programmatic policies.
Ventura has repeatedly tried to place Chega outside of the PS and PSD’s mainstream political establishments. He assured voters that “don’t expect from Chega what the PS and PSD did for 50 years.” This rhetoric is popular with constituents who are fed up with establishment parties that have failed them time and again.
Chega’s populist policies have attracted significant attention. The party’s stance on migration has gained notoriety, including calls for stricter controls and chemical castration of paedophiles. Ventura’s bad treatment of the Roma population has drawn widespread criticism, but praise. Many voters who feel abandoned by the mainstream political parties support his position.
Political analysts agree that Chega’s ascent is due to a perfect storm of factors. Inadvertently, the PS and PSD opened the door for Chega to make electoral inroads. Marina Costa Lobo noted that both parties were unable to do so, as each had been in power for multiple years. The PS, in power since 2015, failed to mobilize the youth vote, leading to its loss of influence.
Portugal’s recent political climate has played a role in Chega’s ascendance. Between 2017 and 2019 the country experienced three snap general elections, fostering an environment of instability that Ventura jumped on. Vicente Valentim noted that “the long-term story is that centre-left parties across Europe are losing many votes – it’s not just the case in Portugal.” This development has enabled Chega to cement itself in the public eye as the only true opposition party.
The PS’s demographic challenges could not be more clear. The party’s electorate skews much older than its major rivals. In doing so, it fails to engage the younger, more mobile electorate who are more responsive to Chega’s anti-establishment, populist messaging. As such, Ventura has skillfully capitalized on the uproar over the public’s discontent. Indeed, he pledges that, following on his party’s electoral victories, “nothing can be the same anymore.”
Ventura is fighting as hard as ever to amplify the frustrations of his constituents. He’s continuing to build on the powerful platform he created when he first won election to parliament in 2019. Technological determinism notwithstanding, pundits say Ventura still knows how to play this hand. This skill has earned him a reputation within Portuguese politics as a skilled and effective leader.
Marina Costa Lobo emphasized that “Chega’s success has to be understood in the context of the Portuguese electorate’s attitudes over the past decade.” This insight is key for understanding the changing tides in Portuguese society and its political system.
His success is a reflection of what’s driving centre-left parties under pressure all over Europe. As these establishment parties further lose the public’s trust, extremist and populist movements such as Chega are rising up. Vicente Valentim remarked that “I think Chega are in the best position they could be right now to keep growing because they’re the opposition party.”
This current change in tides indicates that Chega will continue to be a formidable player in Portugal’s political landscape for the long term. Yet its capacity to channel deeply felt voters’ frustrations as well as understand and tool up to media attention will prove even further to strengthen its power.