CHEGA won the emigrant vote by a large margin, with victories in both overseas constituencies
CHEGA is Portugal‘s main opposition party. It’s a political earthquake that almost everyone already expected but was finally officially confirmed on Wednesday evening (May 28) when all emigrant votes had been counted.
CHEGA secured over 92,000 votes, amounting to more than 26% of the total, and gained two seats in Parliament, bringing the party’s overall count to 60 Members of Parliament (MPs).
The Democratic Alliance (Aliança Democrática, or AD), under the leadership of Luís Montenegro, followed with 16% of the vote (around 56,000 ballots) and also won two seats. Notably, AD managed to reclaim one seat previously held by the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista, or PS), which continues its fall from grace.
PS actually dropped to third place in the overseas vote, receiving roughly 47,700 votes (13%) and, for the first time in Portugal’s democratic history, failing to elect any deputies from the emigrant constituencies.
The Liberal Initiative (Iniciativa Liberal, or IL) came in fourth, as it did within Portugal, earning more than 8,000 votes. Livre followed in fifth place with over 6,000 votes, representing 1.88% of the total.
One of the most striking figures from the vote was the high number of null ballots: over 113,000, accounting for 32% of the overall vote. The percentage has been linked to procedural issues tied to the multi-envelope system – a problem already flagged in past elections.
Meanwhile, the results have been celebrated by CHEGA leader André Ventura, who says they will bring about a “peaceful and healthy regime change.”
“It’s a regime change of a people that is tired of 50 years of the same thing,” Ventura said, alluding to the 50 years of PS and PSD leadership.
CHEGA leads across key European consulates, AD dominates overseas ballot boxes
In the European electoral circle, CHEGA secured victories in five major consulates – Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. AD followed closely with wins in four (Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and the “Rest of Asia and Oceania”), while the Socialist Party (PS) managed only a single lead in the catch-all category of “Other European countries.”
Luxembourg was the first to report results, giving CHEGA a commanding lead at 31.27%, with AD at 17.8% and PS trailing at 11.71%. Both Chega and AD grew their support compared to the previous year, while the PS saw a decline.
In Belgium, where PS had topped the polls a year ago, the tables turned. CHEGA took first place with 23.74%, nudging past AD and pushing the PS into third. Notably, Livre performed well here, reaching fourth place with 6.4%.
AD held onto Germany with 19.60%, narrowly beating PS (18.90%) and Chega (18.80%), with all three parties performing very similarly. France saw another symbolic shift, as CHEGA claimed the top spot with 28.85%, overtaking PS.
Switzerland gave CHEGA its most emphatic win yet, with nearly 46% of the vote – a significant increase from last year’s 32.62%. In the UK, André Ventura’s party also made gains, securing 16% of votes ahead of PS and AD, each with just over 13%. The Netherlands and Spain, however, leaned toward AD which secured 18.65% and 22.19% of votes, respectively, although both countries saw close races with PS and CHEGA not far behind.
In the broader “Rest of Europe” category, the Socialists to come out ahead, but by a slim margin (18.05%) to AD’s 17.92% and CHEGA’s 16.52%, and with fewer votes than in previous elections.
Beyond Europe, the AD alliance took the lead in six major consular areas, including Africa, Canada, the United States, China, and broader regions in Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Chega’s only first-place result came from Brazil, where it repeated last year’s victory.
In the US., AD held its lead with 21.62%, but CHEGA made significant gains, moving up to 17.08%. PS remained in third with just under 11%. A similar pattern emerged in Africa and Canada, where AD won with 31.90% and 19.80% of votes, with CHEGA overtaking the Socialists to secure second place.
China remained relatively stable, with AD retaining first place (33.36%) and PS (21.21%) holding on to second. CHEGA, though still in third, saw a slight improvement (6.85%).
Brazil, a key stronghold for CHEGA, confirmed the party’s consistency abroad. While its numbers didn’t rise dramatically (over 25%), it held the top position, with AD and PS both losing ground.
In the broader Americas, AD once again led (28.28%), though with a smaller share than in 2024. Chega climbed to second place, and the PS slipped to third.
The last ballots to be counted came from countries in Asia and Oceania, where AD narrowly held onto its lead (24.27%) despite a drop in support. Chega edged out PS for second place here as well.
The full results can be consulted on the government’s official 2025 election website.
