"Some, such as the faded one on a roundabout leading to the centre of the southern Portuguese resort city, offer sun-bleached glimpses of enticing real estate, golden beaches and vibrant nightlife. Others that have sprung up before Sunday's local elections peddle promises of a different kind. By far the most numerous are those belonging to the far-right Chega party. Its political posters feature one-line grievances about the state of public health, education and housing and tell passing drivers that all these problems will be solved once Chega is in charge."
"There is a good chance that disillusioned Albufeirans in a city that has voted for the centre-right PSD for more than two decades will help give Chega a historic night on Sunday. After leapfrogging the socialists to take second place in May's general election, Chega now hopes to leverage local-level frustrations to gain dozens of municipalities across the country and position itself for the same in the next general election."
"The Algarve sits at the very centre of the far-right's strategy. Chega's leader, Andre Ventura, a former football pundit and columnist who left the PSD to found the new party just six years ago, has called the region the party's stronghold and the starting point of Portugal's conquest by the far right. A recent poll for the Portuguese daily Diario de Noticias put Ventura's party in the lead for the national vote for the first time. Its cocktail of populist policies, among them stricter controls on migration and chemical castration for paedophiles, have grabbed the attention of voters who are sick of a series of corruption scandals that have dogged the two main parties over recent years."
Billboards in Albufeira advertise real estate and tourism while an increasing number of political posters from the far-right Chega party promise to solve public health, education and housing problems. Disillusioned voters in a city long dominated by the centre-right PSD could deliver Chega significant local victories. Chega leapfrogged the socialists to second in the national vote and aims to win dozens of municipalities to build momentum for future national elections. The Algarve is central to Chega’s strategy and leader Andre Ventura presents a populist platform including stricter migration controls and chemical castration for paedophiles. Corruption scandals affecting mainstream parties have boosted Chega’s appeal.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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