Latest news with #MarceloRebelodeSousa
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Amir sends congratulations to president of Portugal
DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has sent a cable of congratulations to President of the Portuguese Republic HE Dr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on the occasion of his country's National Day.
Al Etihad
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Etihad
UAE President, VPs congratulate President of Portugal on National Day
10 June 2025 13:45 ABU DHABI (WAM) President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal on the occasion of his country's National Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, sent similar messages to the Portuguese President and prime Minister Luís Montenegro on the occasion.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Portugal's far-right Chega becomes main opposition party
Leader of Portugal's far-right political party Chega Andre Ventura and Chega lawmaker Marta Silva meet Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (not pictured), at Belem Palace, following the general elections in Lisbon, Portugal, May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes/File Photo LISBON - Portugal's far-right, anti-establishment party Chega overtook the centre-left Socialists to become the main opposition party for the first time on Wednesday after 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. On the election night, the Socialist Party (PS) emerged slightly ahead of Chega in terms of the share of the vote but with the same 58 seats. The final tally, published by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday, took Chega's parliamentary representation to 60 while the PS was left with 58. Founded just six years ago, Chega, thus ended five decades of dominance by Portugal's two mainstream parties after the end of a fascist dictatorship in 1974, chiming with similar advances for the hard right across Europe. Chega has allied with anti-immigration parties, such as Marine le Pen's National Rally in France and Germany's AfD. It has long campaigned accusing the country's political establishment of perpetuating corruption, while also calling for an end to "open doors" immigration and tougher sentences for criminals, including chemical castration for repeat rapists. Montenegro has refused to make deals with Chega and said he would form a new minority government. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will meet the leaders of the three main parties on Thursday and is then widely expected to name Montenegro as the prime minister. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Leader Live
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Portuguese election brings another minority government amid far-right rise
The centre-right Democratic Alliance, led by the Social Democratic Party, captured 89 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly to win Sunday's ballot. The outcome leaves it without a parliamentary majority, however, and vulnerable to opposition parties that ousted it two months ago in a confidence vote after less than a year in power. Portugal's third general election in three years provided little hope for ending the worst spell of political instability for decades in the European Union country of 10.6 million people. 'The Portuguese don't want any more early elections,' Luis Montenegro, the Democratic Alliance leader and incoming prime minister, said in an appeal for opposition parties to let him serve a full four-year term. 'We all have to be able to speak to each other and put the national interest first,' he added. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has no executive power, is due to consult with the parties before inviting the election winner to form a government. Chega's result shook up the traditional balance of power in a trend already witnessed elsewhere in Europe with parties such as France's National Rally, the Brothers of Italy, and Alternative for Germany, which are now in the political mainstream. Leader Andre Ventura has appeared at events with the leaders of those parties in recent years. For the past 50 years, the Social Democrats and the centre-left Socialist Party have alternated in power in Portugal. Chega collected the same number of seats as the Socialists – 58 – and could yet claim second place when four remaining seats decided by voters abroad are attributed in coming days. 'The two-party system is over,' Mr Ventura, a lawyer and former soccer pundit, said. Chega competed in its first election just six years ago, when it won one seat, and has fed off disaffection over the more moderate traditional parties. Campaigning under the slogan 'Save Portugal', it describes itself as a nationalist party and has focused on curbing immigration and cracking down on corruption. The Socialists, meanwhile, are without a leader after Pedro Nuno Santos said he was standing down after the party's worst result since 1987. The Democratic Alliance, which also includes the smaller Popular Party, lost a confidence vote in parliament in March as opposition legislators teamed up against it. That triggered an early election, which had been due in 2028. The confidence vote was sparked by a political storm around potential conflicts of interest in the business dealings of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's family law firm. Mr Montenegro has denied any wrongdoing. Corruption scandals have dogged Portuguese politics in recent years, helping fuel the rise of Chega. But the party has recently fallen foul of its own legislators' alleged wrongdoing. One is suspected of stealing suitcases from the Lisbon airport and selling the contents online, and another allegedly faked the signature of a dead woman. Both resigned. Chega owes much of its success to its demands for a tighter immigration policy that have resonated with voters. Portugal has witnessed a steep rise in immigration. In 2018, there were fewer than a half-million legal immigrants in the country, according to government statistics. By early this year, there were more than 1.5 million, many of them Brazilians and Asians working in tourism and farming. Thousands more lack the proper documents to be in Portugal. The Democratic Alliance government announced two weeks before the election that it was expelling about 18,000 foreigners living in the country without authorisation. Though such a step is routine, the timing drew accusations that it was trying to capture votes from Chega. A housing crisis has also fired up debate. House prices and rents have been soaring for the past 10 years, due in part to an influx of white-collar foreigners who have driven up prices. The problem is compounded by Portugal being one of Western Europe's poorest countries.
Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Portugal's election brings another minority government and a far-right rise
LISBON, Portugal — Portugal's president convened the country's political parties for consultations Monday, after a general election delivered another minority government as well as an unprecedented showing by populist party Chega (Enough) that added momentum to Europe's shift to the far right. The center-right Democratic Alliance, led by the Social Democratic Party, captured 89 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly to win Sunday's ballot. The outcome leaves it without a parliamentary majority, however, and vulnerable to opposition parties that ousted it two months ago in a confidence vote after less than a year in power. Portugal's third general election in three years provided little hope for ending the worst spell of political instability for decades in the European Union country of 10.6 million people. 'The Portuguese don't want any more early elections,' Luis Montenegro, the Democratic Alliance leader and incoming prime minister, said late Sunday in an appeal for opposition parties to let him serve a full four-year term. 'We all have to be able to speak to each other and put the national interest first,' he said. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has no executive power, was consulting with parties before inviting the election winner to form a government, in line with the constitution. Chega's result shook up the traditional balance of power in a trend already witnessed elsewhere in Europe with parties such as France's National Rally, the Brothers of Italy, and Alternative for Germany, which are now in the political mainstream. Chega leader Andre Ventura has appeared at events with the leaders of those parties in recent years. For the last 50 years, the Social Democrats and the center-left Socialist Party have alternated in power in Portugal. Chega collected the same number of seats as the Socialists — 58 — and could yet claim second place when four remaining seats decided by voters abroad are attributed in coming days. 'The two-party system is over,' Ventura, a lawyer and former soccer pundit, said. Chega competed in its first election just six years ago, when it won one seat, and has fed off disaffection with the more moderate traditional parties. Campaigning under the slogan 'Save Portugal,' it describes itself as a nationalist party and has focused on curbing immigration and cracking down on corruption. On the streets of Lisbon, 42-year-old bank employee Marta Costa said she felt 'disappointment and sadness' at Chega's showing. 'We are losing the world and not building something decent for our children,' she said. 'I think we are not placing enough value on freedom.' Emilia Gordo, 55, said voters expressed a desire for change. 'They [Chega] are trying everything to bring about a change, the country feels a need for change.' The Socialists, meanwhile, are without a leader after Pedro Nuno Santos said he was standing down after the party's worst result since 1987. The Democratic Alliance, which also includes the smaller Popular Party, lost a confidence vote in parliament in March as opposition lawmakers teamed up against it. That triggered an early election, which had been due in 2028. The confidence vote was sparked by a political storm around potential conflicts of interest in the business dealings of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's family law firm. Montenegro has denied any wrongdoing. Corruption scandals have dogged Portuguese politics in recent years, helping fuel the rise of Chega. But the party has recently fallen afoul of its own lawmakers' alleged wrongdoing. One is suspected of stealing suitcases from the Lisbon airport and selling the contents online, and another allegedly faked the signature of a dead woman. Both resigned. Chega owes much of its success to its demands for a tighter immigration policy that have resonated with voters. Portugal has witnessed a steep rise in immigration. In 2018, there were fewer than half a million legal immigrants in the country, according to government statistics. By early this year, there were more than 1.5 million, many of them Brazilians and Asians working in tourism and farming. Thousands more lack the proper documents to be in Portugal. The Democratic Alliance government announced two weeks before the election that it was expelling about 18,000 foreigners living in the country without authorization. Though such a step is routine, the timing drew accusations that it was trying to capture votes from Chega. A housing crisis has also fired up debate. House prices and rents have been soaring for the last 10 years, due in part to an influx of white-collar foreigners. House prices jumped another 9% last year, said the National Statistics Institute, a government body. Rents in and around the capital, Lisbon, where around 1.5 million people live, last year saw the steepest rise in 30 years, climbing more than 7%, the institute said. The problem is compounded by Portugal being one of Western Europe's poorest countries. The average monthly salary last year was around 1,200 euros ($1,340) before tax, according to the statistics agency. The government-set minimum wage this year is 870 euros ($974) a month before tax. Hatton and Alves write for the Associated Press.
