The road into Albufeira is lined with billboards. Some, like the faded one near the city center, display sun-bleached images of coastal properties, sandy beaches, and lively evening scenes. Others, recently put up ahead of Sunday’s local elections, promote different pledges.
Most of them belong to the far-right Chega party. Their campaign posters highlight concerns about healthcare, education, and housing, claiming these issues will be resolved once Chega takes power.
Disillusioned voters in Albufeira—a city that has supported the center-right PSD for over 20 years—might help Chega secure a major victory on Sunday. After surpassing the socialists to become the second-largest party in May’s general election, Chega aims to capitalize on local dissatisfaction to win control of multiple municipalities and strengthen its position before the next national vote.
The Algarve plays a key role in Chega’s strategy. Leader André Ventura, a former football commentator and PSD defector who founded the party six years ago, has labeled the region the movement’s "base" and the first step in the far right’s broader expansion in Portugal.
A recent survey by the Portuguese daily *Diário de Notícias* showed Ventura’s party leading national polls for the first time. Its populist agenda—including stricter immigration rules and harsher punishments for offenders—has resonated with voters frustrated by corruption scandals involving the two major parties. Some speculate Ventura could soon be prime minister.
"If another political crisis forces an early election, Chega would likely win," said António Costa Pinto, a political analyst at Lisbon University’s Institute of Social Sciences.
Chega supporters in the Algarve see Sunday’s vote as a stepping stone to national influence. Daniel Vicente, a 30-year-old bartender from Albufeira, said, “I hope Chega succeeds. The Algarve is struggling… honestly, the whole country is.”
Vicente’s main issue is housing costs. The Algarve, dealing with the same pressures of heavy tourism as other European hotspots, has the country’s second-highest housing prices after Lisbon. Rents in Albufeira alone have risen over 16% in a year.
Echoing Chega’s rhetoric, Vicente blamed low-income migrants for the problem.
"Migrants have all the advantages," he said. "They cram ten people into two-bedroom flats, pay little rent, and still save money. I don’t know how they manage, but they must be getting help."
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