#23 A Primer on Recent Portuguese Political Scandals
There have been a series of scandals involving prominent political figures in Portugal. Yet the parties embroiled in these scandals emerged as the main winners of yesterday’s election.
Yesterday's election saw the center-right Democratic Alliance (AD), led by Luís Montenegro, secure the most seats but fall short of a majority. The far-right Chega party made significant gains, nearly surpassing the Socialist Party (PS) for second place. This represents the worst election result in the PS's history and signifies a notable shift in Portugal's political landscape. Until recently characterized by the traditional European bipolar left-right axis, Portugal is now a multi-bloc system typical of other Western European countries, featuring a center-right, a radical right, and a left bloc. These results were a significant deviation from recent polls, which had indicated the PS holding an 8-point lead over Chega. It’s unclear whether a government can emerge from these results.
What is particularly striking is that the parties at the center of recent political scandals were the primary beneficiaries of the election results. A recap of these scandals can be useful.
The Prime Minister sort of owns a consultancy firm whose clients hold government contracts
The snap elections held on May 18, 2025, just over a year after the previous ones, were triggered by a scandal involving then Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Opposition parties accused him of indirect self-enrichment due to his ties to Spinumviva, a consultancy firm he founded. These accusations led to failed censure motions, ultimately culminating in his government losing a parliamentary vote of confidence on March 11, 2025.
Some of Spinumviva's clients held government contracts. Notably, Solverde, a state-concessioned casino operator, had been paying Spinumviva a monthly fee of 4500EUR a month since 2021, a relationship Montenegro attributed to his personal friendship with shareholders. He pledged to recuse himself from any decisions involving Solverde.
Further controversy surrounded Montenegro's 2022 transfer of his majority stake in Spinumviva to his wife, raising legal questions about its validity under their marital property regime. While Montenegro denied any conflict of interest, stating the sale occurred when he assumed leadership of the PSD party (the main party within the AD), it was revealed that several Spinumviva clients, including ITAU (which provides bar and restaurant services on trains), INETUM (information technology), and Sogenave (a food processing company), secured significant state contracts during his government.
The justice system is investigating an anonymous complaint against Montenegro and Spinumviva. Despite these scandals, the AD, under Montenegro's leadership, won the most seats in the election, suggesting these issues did not significantly deter voters. Few people like to delve into the details of
A Chega MP routinely stole luggage at Lisbon Airport
A big problem for radical right parties is the recruitment of reliable political personnel. It has been a big problem for Chega, whose electoral success has led to the arrival of a large number of new, possibly not properly vetted candidates. Chega's political platform often emphasizes anti-corruption, yet one of their newly elected MPs from the Azores, Miguel Arruda, is under suspicion for multiple counts of qualified theft. He is accused of repeatedly stealing suitcases from the baggage claim area at Lisbon airport while traveling for parliamentary duties. Airport CCTV footage shows him taking luggage and putting it in larger luggage in the bathroom. Searches of his residences uncovered numerous suitcases and various personal items.
Arruda has denied the allegations, suggesting the surveillance footage might be AI-generated (!). His explanations for his behavior included bringing empty bags to the mainland and organizing them in bathroom stalls. An online selling account purportedly linked to him, which may have improperly used parliamentary postage, has since been deleted, with Arruda being evasive about its ownership.
Due to the nature of the alleged crimes, the Assembly of the Republic is legally obligated to lift Arruda's parliamentary immunity. Arruda left Chega to become a non-affiliated deputy but has refused to resign his mandate, citing his lack of conviction. Despite this, Chega achieved substantial gains in the election, indicating that these allegations did not outweigh other concerns for a significant portion of the electorate.
Two Chega MPs are accused of having sex with minors
In its party programme, Chega advocates the chemical castration of people abusing minors. Yet, a Chega municipal deputy in Lisbon is formally accused of two counts of aggravated prostitution of minors. The charges relate to alleged encounters in 2023 with a 15-year-old boy he reportedly met on a dating app. The prosecution alleges he was aware of the boy's age, citing messages and the minor's testimony as evidence. The MP admitted to meeting the adolescent but claimed he believed he was over 18. Following the accusation, he resigned from his party and municipal roles. Chega leadership condemned the alleged actions and reiterated their support for strict penalties for child abusers.
Another Chega MP and district president in Lisbon is under investigation following an accusation of rape of a minor. The complaint was filed in March 2023 by the parents of a 15-year-old girl, alleging an incident at a Lisbon nightclub in the summer of 2022. The MP denies the accusation, claiming it is politically motivated, and his lawyer states he has not been formally notified as a suspect. He has filed defamation complaints against the parents.
The fact that Chega still managed to significantly increase its vote share in the recent election suggests that, for many voters, the party's platform and message resonated more strongly than these serious allegations.