#Sad #São #Vicente #Ventosa #threaten #votes #Chega
In 2022, the parish of São Vicente e Ventosa, which belongs to the municipality of Elvas, district of Portalegre, was in the news after Chega obtained more than 28% of votes in the legislative elections, becoming the second political force in this “tranquil place of whitewashed houses”, traditionally Left.
This Wednesday, just a few days before the legislative elections on March 10, São Vicente and Ventosa are once again in international prominence, through . Report journalists Sérgio Gonçalves and Miguel Pereira that in this “former communist stronghold of 730 people”, the posters of the populist Right party are more numerous than those of the other parties and there is a threat in the air that the percentage of Chega voters will increase even further more.
A possible “early” indicator that Portugal, which has only lived in democracy for 50 years, after the fall of a fascist dictatorship, “may not be immune to the growth of the extreme right across Europe”.
In a small café in the Alentejo parish, the conversation often focuses on Chega’s popularity, with many local inhabitants, including opponents of the party, predicting, according to , that it could, after finishing just behind the PS in 2022, become the party with the most votes this time in São Vicente and Ventosa.
“From what I hear on the streets, Chega is going to rise a lot, which is regrettable and sad”, highlights João Martins, 61 years old. For the communist, it is difficult to understand the “mentality of the people”, how the working-class municipality turned “to the extreme right”.
The socialist president of the parish council, João Charruadas, 38 years old, admits that a vote for Chega is a “vote against the central government”, since he believes that “this parish is not racist, it is not xenophobic”.
In the mayor’s opinion, low wages, rising prices and a lack of public investment are the main reasons why many local inhabitants, including those who used to vote for Left parties, “are giving a big boost to the extreme right “. These arguments seem to be in line with what heard from the parish.
“People are getting angry with the system. We have more and more criminals and corruption in our country”, says, for example, Mário Gonçalves, 35-year-old owner of a local supermarket, assuming that his vote for Chega is “an act of revolt”, packaged by “attractive” promises. ” Chega’s anti-corruption campaign.
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