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It really did not take long for the radical right to make inroads into Portuguese politics. 
One year after their appearance, the center-right has agreed to enter into an agreement with Chega at the regional level (hello, Portuguese Andalucian moment). (1/6)
One year after their appearance, the center-right has agreed to enter into an agreement with Chega at the regional level (hello, Portuguese Andalucian moment). (1/6)
With 5% of the popular vote in the Azores (of all places…), Chega’s parliamentary support is necessary for the formation of a right-wing regional government. Though the incumbent (center-left) got the most votes, it fell short of a majority. (2/6)
The message is clear: ousting the center-left from power is infinitely more important than establishing any sort of cordon sanitaire around the far right. (3/6)
The center-right leader says this is a regional-level issue and does not apply at the national level (!). He also says, though, that Chega only needs to moderate itself to be acceptable (yes, he thinks he can tame them), claiming that it was moderate enough in the Azores. (4/6)
That moderation includes an agreement on policies that entail a reduction in political representation (reduction in the number of parliamentary seats) and slashing social benefits in what is the poorest region in Portugal. (5/6)
This is a win-win situation for Chega: it is accepted as a policy actor, but stays out of the regional government, keeping its anti-system position. It has disproportionate bargaining power as, unlike the center-right, it has nothing to lose (6/6).
