Portugal’s national populist Chega party won its first mayoral seats in Sunday’s local elections, capturing town halls in São Vicente, on the island of Madeira, and in Entroncamento in the central region, according to official results.
Chega—which means “Enough”—previously won second place in snap elections in May, becoming the official opposition party in Portugal just six years after its creation.
“This is a great victory for Chega, which is becoming a party with a municipal base,” said founder and leader André Ventura.
In the last municipal elections in 2021, Chega won 4.2% of the vote but did not capture any town halls.
Early results indicated that the electoral races in the capital, Lisbon, and in Porto, the country’s second-largest city, remain very close, with outcomes yet to be confirmed.
