Introduction
João Carvalho
1. The rendering of the old far right/ the origin and formation of Chega
Riccardo Marchi
2. Chega’s ideological profile and agenda
Mariana S. Mendes
3. Media exposure and Chega’s electoral success: the invisible hand?
João Carvalho
4. Chega’s social media presence (2018-2023): Emerging topics and themes wrapped in blatant pliability
Afonso Biscaia and Susana Salgado
5. The Electoral Geography of the Populist Radical Right Vote in Portugal
Alexandre Afonso
6. The Demand for Chega: Opening Pandora’s Box
Luca Manucci
7. Inside Chega’s membership
João Carvalho, José Santana-Pereira and Riccardo Marchi
Concluding remarks
João Carvalho
Biography
João Carvalho is an assistant researcher in CIES-Iscte. His research interests encompass the politics of international migration and the far right.
“Bringing together leading experts in the field, this book is the first to explain at length the unexpected flash ascent of a new far right party in Portugal and its political consequences. Not so different from the other populist radical rights in Europe, yet not quite the same, Chega condenses the challenges facing democracy today. A must-read.”
Nonna Mayer, Research professor emerita, CEE-Sciences Po-CNRS
“No country is immune to the far right, and no country illustrates this troubling fact more clearly than Portugal. Whereas more entrenched far-right parties in Greece and Spain falter or stagnate, André Ventura’s Chega has gone from strength to strength, and now we finally have a solidly researched book to make sense of this worrying development. Clarifying and timely!”
Cas Mudde, author of The Far Right Today
“This outstanding volume is the first to capture the end of Portuguese exceptionalism and the rise of Chega. The contributors offer nuanced and non-hyperbolic analyses of social media usage and rigorous profiles of the party's development, ideology, voters, and members. Students of European politics need to read this volume to learn just how much—-but also how little—-Chega has in common with other radical right parties of the fourth wave.”
David Art, Professor of Political Science, Tufts University
“This volume provides a comprehensive account of a major shift in Portuguese party politics: the rise of Chega. Using data from multiple sources, the contributors trace the party’s belated but rapid ascent and offer extremely valuable insights to the comparative study of the populist radical right in Europe.”
Pedro C. Magalhães, Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon
