As far-right parties gained momentum across Europe, Portugal long stood out as an exception. One by one, other countries seen as immune to extremism saw far-right parties enter parliament: The Alternative for Germany party won its first parliamentary seats in 2017; two years later, Spain’s Vox party followed suit. Those parties joined well-established ones in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and elsewhere, quickly cementing their place in their countries’ political landscapes.

As far-right parties gained momentum across Europe, Portugal long stood out as an exception. One by one, other countries seen as immune to extremism saw far-right parties enter parliament: The Alternative for Germany party won its first parliamentary seats in 2017; two years later, Spain’s Vox party followed suit. Those parties joined well-established ones in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and elsewhere, quickly cementing their place in their countries’ political landscapes.

In Portugal, however, a smattering of small far-right parties had tried but failed to win serious influence over the five decades since the 1974 revolution that toppled the country’s dictatorship. When Chega, a far-right party led by the charismatic André Ventura, came onto the scene in 2019, it looked likely to face the same headwinds as its predecessors.

But the campaign dynamics ahead of the March 10 snap legislative election are proof that the political scene is changing in this country of 10 million. According to recent polling, Chega (“Enough”) could take almost 20 percent of the vote. With the center-left Socialists and center-right Social Democrats running neck and neck for first place, Chega may well end up being the kingmaker for the next government if, as expected, neither mainstream party gains enough seats to form a majority. The results will serve as the latest data point in the far right’s ascent across the continent ahead of European Parliament elections in June.

Ventura, a 41-year-old former TV soccer commentator running on the message of “Portugal needs a clean-up,” has been spurred on by a perfect storm of factors, including the corruption-related resignation of Prime Minister António........

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