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LISBON, Portugal (AP) – Portugal is holding a general election Sunday against a backdrop of corruption scandals and economic woes that have eroded confidence in moderate mainstream parties and turned a significant number of voters to radical right-wing populists. It may be forced into political parties.
A number of recent corruption scandals have tarnished the two main parties, the center-left Socialist Party and the center-right Social Democratic Party, which have alternately ruled for decades. The Social Democratic Party runs the government through two small coalitions called the Democratic Alliance. These traditional parties are still expected to garner the majority of votes.
Public dissatisfaction with continued politics was already percolating even before the protests against corruption began. Low wages and high living costs (made worse last year by soaring inflation and interest rates), a housing crisis and a failing public health system also contributed to dissatisfaction.
That discontent is further fueled by Chega (Enough), the populist party that could benefit most from the current public mood.
Chega is widely expected to become the party that wins the third most votes, in a political shift to the right already seen in other parts of Europe. Similar trends have been observed in Spain and France in recent years.
Chega could even end up taking on the role of kingmaker if a larger party needs the support of smaller rivals to form a government.
Portugal has 10.8 million registered voters, and most results were expected to be known within hours before polling stations closed at 8pm (2000 JST).
The election came after Socialist Party leader Antonio Costa resigned in November after eight years as prime minister over a corruption investigation into his chief of staff. Costa has not been charged with any crime.
The Social Democratic Party was also embarrassed by a corruption scandal that led to the resignation of two prominent party officials just before the election campaign.
Meanwhile, voters have expressed concern about Portugal’s living standards as fiscal pressures increase.
An influx of foreign property investors and tourists looking for short-term rentals has led to soaring housing prices, especially in large cities such as the capital Lisbon, leaving many local residents priced out of the market.
It feels like the economy is in low gear. Portuguese people have long had one of the lowest incomes in Western Europe, with an average monthly pre-tax salary of around 1,500 euros (about $1,640) last year, enough to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Lisbon. The amount was barely enough. Nearly 3 million Portuguese workers earn less than 1,000 euros ($1,093) a month.
Meanwhile, the number of people without a family doctor rose to 1.7 million last year, a record high from 1.4 million in 2022.
Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, 46, the party’s candidate for prime minister, is promising change with what he vaguely calls a “new push.” However, he has not broken ties with party officials who served in the previous government.
Social Democratic Party leader Luis Montenegro, 51, who is likely to become prime minister if the Democratic Alliance wins, intends to recruit into the government people who are not affiliated with the party – people he calls “enforcers” It has said.
Chega party leader Andre Ventura has deftly tapped into these grievances and built a following among young people on social media. Just five years after its founding, Chega won its first seat in Portugal’s 230-seat parliament in 2019. It could jump to 12 seats in 2022, and could more than double its number this time, according to polls.
Mr Ventura has announced some of his party’s most controversial proposals, including the introduction of chemical castration and life sentences for some sex offenders, if it joins a governing alliance with other rights groups. He said he was prepared to withdraw the agreement if it opened the door to. center party.
His insistence on national sovereignty rather than closer integration in the European Union and his plans to give police the right to strike are other issues that could hamper his ambitions to form a coalition government.
Ventura has had a colorful career. He went from a practicing lawyer and university professor specializing in tax law to a raucous television soccer pundit, author of sleazy books, and bombastic campaign speaker.
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