Portugal goes right - but there's nothing right about this

A lot of us feared this day would come and it is finally here.

On March 10th, Portugal held general elections to once again fill all of 230 seats at the parliament. The elections came at a sudden pace after the previous Prime Minister, António Costa, resigned in November 2023 when information about his possible involvement in corruption schemes saw the light of day. Costa served as representative of the center-left political party, Partido Socialista, which naturally saw a decline in terms of respect and followers. Obviously this was shocking news to everyone in the country. Public faith towards the government was shattered to pieces while all political parties raced to set up campaigns and make their statements in a short period of time.

The results came in and the grand victor is Alian?a Democrática, a right-wing party that gathered 29,49% of the public vote and was able to establish a total of 79 members of parliament. Partido Socialista came in second, with 77 members, but the real surprise of the evening was the absolute rise of Chega, a far-right party that got 18,06% of all votes and therefore got to quadruple the number of members of parliament, increasing it to a total of 48.

This victory comes as even more shocking news as we realize that in 2024 we actually celebrate the 50th anniversary of '25 de abril', the most famous Portuguese revolution that took place in 1974 and ended Salazar's dictatorship that had started back in 1933. April 25th is a nationwide celebration where the country reminds itself of the value of freedom and democracy, so it's heartbreaking that we seem to fall back to the dark ages in the exact year where we are supposed to be reminded of progress.

Facts and numbers aside, let us step back and dissect why these results are concerning and possibly quite damaging for Portugal and its citizens.

What do they stand for?

As we all know, throughout history right-wing parties have been known to jeopardize basic human rights and allow the market to dictate its own rules and regulate its own operation. This is especially dangerous for groups of people that have always had their existence put at stake, such as women, minorities and families who are struggling financially. So let's take a look at some examples.

1. Abortion: Paulo Núncio, known member of Alian?a Democrática, has recently stated that he believes in a new referendum on abortion, as it is the only way to reverse the result from 2005 and make it illegal again. On the other hand, Rita Matias, a controversial figure of Chega - and my own personal nemesis -, has publicly stated that she 'believes in life' and 'all children should have the right to be born, regardless of circumstances'. So I guess there goes the right to freedom for women to decide what to do with their own bodies.
2. Housing: Alian?a Democrática plans to implement a hybrid program to combat the housing crisis in Portugal, which includes both public and private entities coming in and contributing to the large-scale construction and refurbishment of both general housing and student accommodation. Chega, on the other hand, seemingly believes in holding tenders for private companies interested in developing housing projects on public land.
3. Immigration: Alian?a Democrática and Chega have both admitted that they want to restrict and filter out the levels of immigration in Portugal. According to both, immigration should start by having quotas, establishing a limit on how many people can come to the country in search of a better life. Additionally, they have both stated that their priority is to attract 'qualified immigrants' that can provide Portugal with better skills and expertise.
4. LGBTQ+ Rights: Though both parties have mentioned that they plan to address discrimination and violence, there are no specific measures in their programs regarding the LGBTQ+ community. On the contrary, Chega has referred to trans people as 'gender ideology' many times in the past, while going as far as stating over and over again how much they loathe gender-neutral bathrooms. At this point it kind of feels like a witch hunt, to be honest.
5. Health: Similar to many others sections in their electoral programs, both parties plan to reduce the state's role in public health and bring in private institutions that would take on the majority of the responsibility. Chega, for instance, believes that 'the state should ideally not interfere as a provider of goods and services in the health market', while blatantly defending the private management of public hospitals.
6. Education: The same logic is applied here. Both Alian?a Democrática and Chega don't necessarily believe in the state's full involvement in matters of public education, with Chega going as far as suggesting the total extinction of the Ministry of Education. Their involvement is mostly based on controlling what exactly is taught to young students, with Chega stating that they want to 'purge schools of all ideologies'.

What happens next?

Obviously this seems like a redefining moment in Portuguese history. It's been a while since we've had a majority of right-wing parties in parliament, especially parties who have openly displayed fascists tendencies. André Ventura, the leader of Chega, has mentioned repeatedly their motto of 'God, country, family and work', similar to that used by the dictator Salazar in the 20th century. Additionally, he publicly performed the Nazi salute - which in itself is not stranger to Chega's supporters - in one of the party's rally events earlier this year.

At this moment, it's crucial for us to pause and remind ourselves of some very important truths. Number one, we (still) live in a democracy, which by definition means that no absolute majority could ever serve a country and its people. As long as democracy remains alive, we are able to embrace our differences while still fighting for our voices to be heard.

Number two, fear of the unknown is a basic reaction of the human being. We fear what we do not understand, and speaking as a young man and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I fear for my country, my peers and myself. But it's important to remember that it's okay to feel this way. Fear can be paralyzing at first but it can also be an outstanding vehicle to further drive our beliefs and demands.

Last but not least, I whole-heartedly believe this is not defeat, it's just another reason for us to stand stronger together. Today we mourn, tomorrow we fight. A few days ago I read this interview that stuck with me, where the Portuguese queer musical group Fado Bicha talked about the importance of resilience in the face of authoritarian regimes. And this is a lesson for everyone that is feeling down and left out right now - a reminder that your mere existence is an act of resistance. Because, as mentioned by the group, 'historically we are immortal'.

List of left-wing parties in Portugal to learn about and become a member of:

• Bloco de Esquerda
• Pessoas, Animais e Natureza
• Partido Livre
• Coliga??o Democrática Unitária