Portugal's far right leads among youth ahead of legislative elections
On the eve of the legislative elections, taking place on Sunday, May 18, in Portugal, the far right is leading among young people aged 18 to 24. According to a poll by the weekly Expresso, published on May 11, the party Chega ("enough") would gather 23% of the voting intentions in this age group, equal to the ruling center-right coalition led by the outgoing prime minister, Luis Montenegro (Partido Social Democrata, PSD, center-right). "The rise in votes for the far-right party Chega is a sign of the end of the anti-authoritarian political culture that has prevailed in Portugal since the end [in 1974] of the regime of [Antonio de Oliveira] Salazar. After 50 years of democracy, young people have lost the memory of the dictatorship," observed historian and political scientist Antonio Costa Pinto, a professor at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon.
The snap elections, organized after the failure of the confidence motion presented by Montenegro, who has been surrounded by suspicions of conflicts of interest, could thus allow the far right to replicate the record result it achieved in the last elections and solidify its position as the third party. In March 2024, Chega obtained 18% of the votes and 50 of the 230 seats in the Portuguese parliament − 11 points more than in 2022 and 17 more than in 2019, when it burst onto the Portuguese political scene.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Infant mortality in the EU: An unexpectedly bleak picture
The infant mortality rate has increased in at least eight EU countries in 2024, according to the latest figures from the countries' national statistics offices. The infant mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births. In 2024, both France and Romania reported infant mortality rates surpassing the EU average of 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births from 2023. Romania experienced a significant rise in its rate, jumping from 2.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 6.4 in 2024. This is followed by France, which saw the rate double from 2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 4.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. This means that one child out of 250 dies before the age of one in France, according to the French Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). Since 2015, France's infant mortality rate has consistently been higher than the EU average. Boys are 1.2 times more likely than girls to die before the age of one and twins or triplets are five times more at risk than any other children. Between 2023 and 2024, Portugal experienced a 20% increase in infant mortality rates, a trend that deviates from the country's overall mortality rate. The causes behind this trend are not clear, but several factors may contribute, including the increasing age of mothers, an increase in multiple pregnancies and geographic inequality of access to maternal health care, according to health experts. On the other hand, Latvia and Sweden have the lowest infant mortality rate in the EU. Currently, Lithuania, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark and Slovenia only have estimated numbers. 2024 was a year marked by health staff shortages and the closure of some maternity hospitals in countries like Portugal, Germany and France. During the summer of 2024, 10 Portuguese maternity wards were closed or with restrictions. This followed the government's presentation of a Health Emergency and Transformation Plan to be implemented in three months to guarantee general access to healthcare. In the past decade in France, 15% of small maternity units have closed. Over the past two decades, the number of doctors and nurses per capita has increased substantially in most EU countries. However, the workforce is ageing and interest in health careers among young people is declining due to low salaries and poor working conditions.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
New police search begins in hunt for missing Madeleine McCann
Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished from an apartment on the Algarve coast where she was on holiday with her family, sparking a global campaign to find her and unprecedented media coverage. A previous search of a lake near the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz in 2023 yielded no results but on Tuesday investigators were back in a part of nearby Lagos to hunt for clues. Several police vehicles with Portuguese and German number plates as well as fire trucks were seen down a cordoned-off dirt road towards the search site, AFP journalists at the scene saw. Portuguese police said about 25 German investigators were present, with the investigation looking at an abandoned building in an overgrown wooded area. The new searches -- carried out at the request of German authorities investigating Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist who is suspected of having killed Madeleine -- are expected to last until Friday. According to the British tabloid The Sun, investigators are equipped with ground radar technology that can scan the ground down to 4.5 metres (15 feet) in depth. The area includes a cottage where Brueckner was living and is dotted with wells and ditches, it added. A mobile phone registered in Brueckner's name was traced close to the family's accommodation on the night Madeleine went missing. Determined Brueckner, a 48-year-old German national, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape in 2005 of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz. He is due to complete his sentence in September. He was acquitted in October 2024 in Germany at trial for two sexual assaults and three rapes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. German authorities in 2020 said they were convinced Brueckner was involved in Madeleine's disappearance, which gained worldwide publicity and has seen several false leads. He has not been charged in connection with the McCann case. Brueckner, who according to German media had a string of previous convictions, including for sexual offences, assault and theft before he was convicted of rape, worked as an odd-job man during his 10 years in the Algarve. He also burgled hotel rooms and holiday apartments. At the time of Madeleine's disappearance he was living in a camper van. On Tuesday, a journalist from Germany's RTL television recounted his correspondence with Brueckner, and how he had met him in prison. Brueckner, the journalist said, complained that "half the world" considered him to be a "cruel rapist". He said he wanted to eat steak and drink beer when he is released from prison. A former neighbour in Portugal had told Sky News television in 2020 that Brueckner was "always a bit angry, driving fast up and down the lane, and then one day, around 2006, he just disappeared without a word". He returned to Germany in 2007 -- the year Madeleine disappeared -- settling in Hanover, but still spent time in Portugal. On the 18th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance on May 3 this year, Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann said they were still determined to find out what happened. "We will do our utmost to achieve this."
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Sancho to leave Chelsea after loan spell: reports
The 25-year-old joined Chelsea on loan in August last year in a deal that featured an obligation to buy him for up to £25 million ($34 million). The Athletic reported that the club and Sancho had failed to agree a deal and Chelsea must now pay a £5 million penalty charge to United. Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League and won the UEFA Conference League, with Sancho scoring the third goal in last week's 4-1 win against Real Betis. But the England international has had an inconsistent season, scoring just five times and making 10 assists in 41 appearances for Chelsea. He scored just one Premier League goal after early December. When asked about Sancho's future following last week's Conference League victory in Poland, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said: "From now on we are going to sit with the club and decide what happens for next year." Sancho, whose contract at United runs until 2026, will return to Old Trafford. The club have an option to extend the deal by a further year. The forward joined United from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million ($98 million) in 2021 but failed to live up to his price tag. He was involved in a public spat with former United boss Erik ten Hag early in the 2023/24 season and did not make another appearance before being loaned to his former club Dortmund. He played once for United in the 2024/25 season, in the Community Shield in August, before making the switch to Chelsea. Chelsea on Monday announced the signing of Portuguese midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon in a deal worth £18 million. The 20-year-old will be available to feature for the Blues at the Club World Cup later this month.
