Right-wing populist party Chega has surged into second place in Portugal’s parliament after overseas ballots were tallied to become the official opposition, securing 60 seats and overtaking the center-left Socialist Party (PS).
The result marks the first time since the 1974 Carnation Revolution that a party outside the mainstream PS and center-right Democratic Alliance has broken into the top two.
Chega’s rise was propelled by an overwhelming victory among Portuguese citizens living abroad. While the governing Democratic Alliance (AD) led the overall election and will form a minority government with 91 seats, Chega received 38.8 percent of the diaspora vote, well ahead of AD’s 23.8 percent and PS’s 20.1 percent. The result pushed Chega past the Socialists in total seat count, reversing the domestic result where both parties had been neck and neck.
Chega leader André Ventura hailed the result as a turning point. “Chega is becoming the leader of the opposition in Portugal. The alternative to the Government. The voice of change. Nothing will be the same as before — the Portuguese will have their country back!” he wrote on social media. “What a great victory! Thank you to all the Portuguese who trusted us! This historic victory is also yours, it is Portugal’s!”
Que grande vitória!!! Obrigado a todos os portugueses que confiaram em nós! Esta vitória histórica também é vossa, é de Portugal! pic.twitter.com/tzfMJeaZ2r
— André Ventura (@AndreCVentura) May 28, 2025The final seat distribution in the 230-member parliament places AD on top with 91 seats, followed by Chega with 60 and the Socialists with 58. The Liberal Initiative secured 9 seats, while smaller parties such as the Left Bloc, Communist-Green CDU, and various Green and liberal formations make up the remainder.
Portugal, final results:
Seat distribution
AD-EPP: 91 (+11)
CH-PfE: 60 (+10)
PS-S&D: 58 (-20)
IL-RE: 9 (+1)
L-G/EFA: 6 (+2)
CDU-LEFT|G/EFA: 3 (-1)
BE-LEFT: 1 (-4)
PAN-G/EFA: 1
JPP-RE: 1 (+1)
+/- vs. 2024 election
➤ https://t.co/cadjSzG0Zi#legislativas2025 #portugal… pic.twitter.com/3WZiZjR6rP
— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) May 28, 2025Despite Chega’s rise, Prime Minister Montenegro has repeatedly ruled out any formal alliance with Ventura’s party, echoing a broader European trend in which mainstream conservatives refuse to work with right-wing populists. This includes Germany’s CDU distancing itself from the AfD, France’s cordon sanitaire around the National Rally, and Austria’s ÖVP shunning the FPÖ. One of the few exceptions has been in the Netherlands, where Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom formed a government with center-right allies.
Ventura warned Montenegro against turning to the left to pass legislation. “Montenegro will have to choose between maintaining the status quo — that is, keeping everything the same despite the vote, which would be the same arrangement between the PS and AD we’ve seen for the past 50 years — or enabling a qualitative leap in the political dynamics,” he said.
Turnout among voters abroad was low at just 22.2 percent, with more than 32 percent of ballots excluded due to being blank or invalid. Nonetheless, the impact of these votes has altered the balance of power in Lisbon, cementing Chega’s transformation from a fringe force to a dominant player in Portuguese politics.
