Portugal went to the polls on Sunday in nationwide local elections, with the spotlight on Lisbon after last month’s deadly streetcar crash that killed 16 people, including 11 tourists.
The municipal vote is being closely watched as a test of how far the far-right Chega party has risen since it became the country’s second-largest political force just five months ago.
The outcome could shape Portugal’s political landscape for years — especially if Chega manages to win mayoral seats for the first time.
Chega’s leadership is fielding high-profile names, including sitting MPs like Pedro Pinto in Faro and Rita Matias in Sintra.
The party’s candidates are locked in tight races with the Socialist Party (PS) and the centre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) in several cities, such as Sintra and Setúbal.
Lisbon and Porto in the Balance
In Lisbon, Mayor Carlos Moedas, who leads a centre-right coalition, is fighting to retain his seat against Alexandra Leitão — a law professor and candidate of the PS-led coalition. Moedas narrowly won in 2021 after 14 years of Socialist dominance in the capital.
His re-election bid was shaken by the tragic Elevador da Glória crash, which claimed 16 lives. Despite public outrage, Moedas refused to step down, insisting he bore no direct responsibility.
Yet, residents say they’re more concerned about day-to-day challenges — from trash pileups to rising rent — as Lisbon grapples with soaring tourism and record real estate costs.
Leitão, who hopes to become Lisbon’s first female mayor, faces competition from João Ferreira of the Communist-led CDU coalition. Ferreira, an experienced councillor, refused to join the PS-led alliance, which also includes the Left Bloc, Livre, and PAN.
Analysts believe a split in the left-wing vote could hand victory back to Moedas and his PSD–CDS–Liberal Initiative coalition.
In Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, the political field has opened after Mayor Rui Moreira — in power since 2013 — reached the country’s term limit for local office.
With Moreira out, the race has narrowed between the Socialist Party’s Manuel Pizarro, a former health minister, and Pedro Duarte, the PSD–CDS coalition candidate and ex–minister of parliamentary affairs.
Independents and Turnout
Independent candidates are also gaining traction. Portugal’s first independent mayors were elected in 2005 — only seven then — but that number rose to 19 by the 2021 elections.
This year, 9.3 million registered voters are choosing city councils, municipal assemblies, and parish bodies across 308 municipalities and over 3,200 parishes in mainland Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores.
More than 800 political and citizens’ groups are contesting. Analysts are predicting a higher turnout this time, after voter apathy hit a record low in 2013 when nearly half of voters — 47.4% — stayed home.
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