In the rural parish of Santa Eulália, local café patron João Carmo expressed to Lusa that he anticipated a victory for Chega, attributing it to the party’s alignment with public sentiment on issues like security and immigration.
Elvas was the municipality where Chega achieved the highest national percentage on Sunday, with 43.51% of the votes, equating to 4,795 votes out of 11,020 voters.
Rui Nabeiro, president of the Elvas Business Association, described the outcome to Lusa as a “vote of discontent” from residents due to a lack of solutions to local problems.
“I think it is mainly a vote of dissatisfaction with longstanding parties that fail to offer different and adapted solutions,” he stated.
Chega’s best electoral results in terms of percentage per parish at the recent general election were in municipalities of the Portalegre district, while the AD coalition (PSD/CDS-PP) and PS found their success in Vila Real.
In Elvas, Chega was the most voted party across all seven parishes, particularly excelling in São Vicente e Ventosa with 53.3% and Santa Eulália with 52.29% of the votes.
João Charruadas, president of the São Vicente e Ventosa parish council and a PS member, remarked to Lusa that the results reflect how “people are frustrated” with successive governments’ policies.
“The discontent arises from bi-partisan policies, PS and PSD. People are upset about issues like immigration control, the lack of doctors, and inadequate transport. These are the prevalent grievances,” commented the local leader.
José Eurico Malhado, who led Chega’s ticket in the Elvas municipal elections this year, interpreted the party’s triumph as a sign of widespread dissatisfaction with recent policies.
“The discontent spans various sectors, including health, education, and security—problems experienced nationwide,” he argued.
He added that Elvas “struggles with industrial limitations and has an aging population that lacks support.”
Lusa contacted three sociologists at Alentejo’s higher education institutions, who all declined to comment on Chega’s election results in the Portalegre district.
In these elections, Chega became the most voted party in Portalegre, securing 17,220 votes (29.90%), electing one deputy in a district that only elects two MPs—the PS gained the other seat.
André Ventura’s party won in seven of the district’s 15 municipalities, including Monforte, Campo Maior, Alter do Chão, Elvas, Sousel, Fronteira, and Ponte de Sor.
The PS followed with 16,125 votes (28%) and won the municipalities of Avis, Gavião, Crato, and Nisa; the AD coalition (PSD/CDS-PP) was third with 15,458 votes (26.84%).
In the 2024 elections, the PS had been the most voted in 14 of Portalegre’s 15 municipalities, with Elvas already leaning towards Chega at that time, marking the district’s highest voting for the party.
Chega elected João Lopes Aleixo to the Assembly of the Republic, while the PS elected Luis Moreira Testa. The PSD/CDS-PP coalition, represented by Manuel Castro Almeida, fell to third place with 15,458 votes (26.84%) and did not secure a deputy.
This was the sole electoral circle in the country where the AD coalition did not succeed in electing a deputy, despite winning in four municipalities: Marvão, Arronches, Portalegre, and Castelo de Vide.
According to the Ministry of Internal Administration’s General Secretariat, 57,596 out of 92,532 registered voters in the district cast their votes, resulting in a turnout of 62.24% and an abstention rate of 37.76%.
