AD wins the election and defeats PS. Hurricane Chega turned the country to the right

The country turned to the right due to Hurricane Chega. André Ventura’s party sparked an electoral revolution. A phenomenon for the whole country, with a victory in the Algarve and an outstanding, symbolically speaking, result in the Alentejo. Fifty years after April 25, the former communist fiefdom is no longer the hegemonic territory of the left. The PCP disappeared from the Alentejo electoral map and was unable to hold elections in the region. Bragança was the only constituency where the right-wing party failed to elect deputies.

There is now an overwhelming right-wing majority in parliament. AD was the coalition with the most votes, but Montenegro did not receive an absolute majority, even together with the Liberal Initiative. But the PS, despite the devastation, still fought to the end. And the final result will depend on the 4 emigrant deputies. On March 20, the votes of emigrants will be counted and the final composition of the parliament will become known.

Costa’s pink wave was not followed by an orange wave in 2022 because the power of that wave was transferred to Chege. The arrival of Chegi created a new bloc in the three-headed parliament with three parties. PS on the left, SDP on the right and now a big populist party to the right. Ventura now has a large parliamentary group, large government subsidies and can hire a large party machine.

There is a right-wing majority in parliament, but it remains to be seen whether there will be a stable government. The SDP, even without the votes of emigrants, could have formed a government with the support of Čega, but Montenegro rejected this possibility. Pedro Nuno admitted defeat and declared that the PSD could govern the country without the PS making any proposals to withdraw.

PS lost the most compared to 2022. In the Northern region he lost to AD, and in the Southern region he suffered from Chegi. However, Pedro Nuno’s party still managed to compete head-to-head with AD in the elections.

On the left flank only Livre can claim a clear victory. Rui Tavares will have a parliamentary group, which means more financial resources for political activities and the possibility of hiring more staff.

The big loser is the PKP and its CDU coalition. He faced the threat of the disappearance of parliament. He denied these polls but saw Chega dominate in areas where he was strong. The end of communist parliamentary representation in the Alentejo is a historical milestone, as it is a region where communists dominated.

In Lisbon’s industrial belt, on the outskirts of the capital and on the Setubal peninsula, Chega is now winning votes that were once communist.
This Monday, the political country wakes up in a completely different way. There are more doubts than certainties. Pedro Nuno congratulated the PSD leader. Montenegro must become prime minister, but it will not be easy.