How the Portuguese Communist Party assesses the negative electoral result of 18 May

Alarming news are coming from Portugal. The far-right, ultra-conservative and xenophobic party Chega has become the main opposition party for the first time, following  the final tally of ballots from abroad in a May 18 snap Parliamentary Election.

The centre-right Democratic Alliance of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro won 91 seats in the 230-seat single-chamber parliament, including two from out-of-country voting. While it garnered more seats than in 2024, it again fell short of a majority needed to end a long period of instability. 

Portugal Elections 2024: Poor performance for the Communist Party, while the far-right rises

Bad news come from Portugal, following March 10 parliamentary elections. The Unitary Democratic Coalition, comprised of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Greens, received 3,30% (approximately 203,000 votes), which marks a regression in relation to the 2022 results (4,39% and 236,600 votes).

Unfortunately, it seems that, among others, the Portuguese Communist Party pays the price for its political support – also known as Geringonça - towards the social democratic governments of Antonio Costa in 2015-2019 which cultivated empty promises to the working class but ultimately led to disappointment.