Portugal Has Been Asleep for Fifty Years. Will It Awaken on May 18?
An overlooked diaspora, dysfunctional consular services, broken political promises, and a regime past its prime. The upcoming legislative elections constitute a test of national conscience and political maturity.
On 18 May 2025, the Portuguese electorate will once again head to the polls. This electoral act represents more than a routine democratic exercise. It offers an opportunity for the country to liberate itself from a stagnant political model that, for half a century, has rotated power between the Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party with negligible structural reform to show for it.
For decades, Portugal has been governed by familiar figures who simply exchange positions of authority within a closed system. The consequences of this political monopoly are visible throughout the nation: chronic economic stagnation, institutional inefficiency, deteriorating public services, and a growing sense of insecurity. The State has become increasingly bloated and ineffective, alienated from its fundamental mission of serving the citizenry.
The situation of the Portuguese diaspora is equally troubling. Despite representing over one and a half million registered voters, Portuguese citizens living abroad are allocated only four parliamentary seats, two representing Europe and two representing the rest of the world. This is profoundly disproportionate when compared to the domestic electoral map. For example, the district of Castelo Branco, with just 160,000 voters, is also entitled to four seats. If proportional fairness were applied, the diaspora should be represented by at least sixteen deputies. The current configuration not only marginalizes a significant segment of the Portuguese population but also undermines the legitimacy of national representation.
Adding to this injustice is the deplorable condition of consular services. In France, a Portuguese citizen residing in Bayonne must travel over 200 kilometers to the consulate in Bordeaux merely to renew a national dentification card. In Paris, which hosts the world's largest Portuguese consulate, waiting times for appointments have, at times, exceeded six months. Such conditions are not simply inconvenient, they reveal systemic neglect and indifference.
During election campaigns, political parties routinely pledge reform only to abandon such commitments once elected. A notable example is the issue of electronic voting. Candidates from the Socialist Party, elected by the European diaspora, publicly committed to establishing a secure digital voting system. After securing office, they swiftly reversed their position, citing security concerns. This reversal is particularly telling when considering that countries such as France have already implemented online voting systems for their expatriates. The credibility of such excuses is therefore highly questionable.
The ongoing requirement that Portuguese citizens abroad submit photocopies of their Citizen Card by postal mail continues to generate legitimate concern. This document is personal and non-transferable. There is no guarantee that it will not be intercepted or misused. Despite repeated appeals from the diaspora, the government remains silent, further demonstrating its disconnection from the realities faced by Portuguese citizens outside the national territory.
In the midst of this national disillusionment, the so-called Democratic Alliance emerged. Rather than representing a new political project, it merely reconstitutes the longstanding partnership between the Social Democratic Party and the now marginalised CDS. The latter, having compromised its identity through years of ideological ambiguity, now clings to the PSD for relevance. This political arrangement is not a proposal for Portugal's future but a desperate effort to maintain influence and distribute political appointments.
In this context, a vote for Chega should not be seen solely as an act of protest. It is a conscious affirmation of national sovereignty, justice, public order, and civic dignity. It reflects the desire of a growing number of Portuguese citizens to restore truth to public discourse and courage to political leadership.
Voting for Chega means endorsing the following principles:
- Proportional and respectful parliamentary representation for the Portuguese diaspora
- Immediate reform and modernization of consular services, ensuring access to documents and assistance abroad
- Implementação de um sistema de voto electrónico seguro e transparente
- Implementation of a secure and transparent electronic voting system
- Reinforcement of law enforcement agencies with adequate resources and institutional protection
- Effective criminal justice policies that impose meaningful penalties and uphold public safety
- Elimination of chronic welfare dependency and restoration of personal responsibility
- Reduction of the number of parliamentary seats and abolition of political privileges
- Defense of the natural family as the foundation of society and education
- Restoration of discipline and authority in schools with proper protection for educators
- Prevention of ideological indoctrination in the national education system
- Promotion of a merit-based culture that values work, enterprise, and excellence
- Safeguarding of legislative and cultural sovereignty against undue foreign influence
- Regulation of immigration according to civilizational, legal, and integrative standards
- Eradication of public sector waste and closure of state-funded entities that serve no national interest
- Promotion of national pride, the Portuguese language, traditional values, and the nation's founding identity
Portugal can no longer afford to be governed as though it were the private estate of its ruling elite. Political renewal must be more than a rhetorical gesture. It must be the product of clear principles, national will, and moral clarity.
The time has come. May the 18th of May mark the beginning of a new chapter. May Portugal finally awaken and rise with dignity.