LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Polls have officially opened Sunday in Portugal’s general election with mainstream moderates trying to keep a populist party at bay The election, with 10.
LISBON, Portugal — Polls have officially opened Sunday in Portugal’s general election with mainstream moderates trying to keep a populist party at bay
Public frustration with politics-as-usual had already been percolating before the outcries over graft. Low wages and a high cost of living — worsened last year by surges in inflation and interest rates — as well as a housing crisis and failings in public health care contributed to the disgruntlement.
Chega could even end up in the role of kingmaker if a bigger party needs the support of smaller rivals to form a government. In a televised address to the nation on Saturday night, Rebelo de Sousa said the unpredictable outcome of elections later this year for the European Parliament and in the United States, as well as the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, as possibly bringing more economic difficulties.The election is taking place because Socialist leader António Costa resigned in November after eight years as prime minister amid a corruption investigation involving his chief of staff.
The number of people without an assigned family doctor, meantime, rose to 1.7 million last year, the highest number ever and up from 1.4 million in 2022. Chega party leader Andre Ventura has cannily plugged into the dissatisfaction and has built a following among young people on social media. Just five years old, Chega collected its first seat in Portugal’s 230-seat Parliament in 2019. That jumped to 12 seats in 2022, and polls suggest it could more than double that number this time.