Bringing together leading experts in the field, this book is the first to explain at length the unexpected flash ascent of a new far right party in Portugal and its political consequences. Not so different from the other populist radical rights in Europe, yet not quite the same, Chega condenses the challenges facing democracy today. A must-read.
Nonna Mayer, Research professor emerita, CEE-Sciences Po-CNRS
No country is immune to the far right, and no country illustrates this troubling fact more clearly than Portugal. Whereas more entrenched far-right parties in Greece and Spain falter or stagnate, André Venturas Chega has gone from strength to strength, and now we finally have a solidly researched book to make sense of this worrying development. Clarifying and timely!
Cas Mudde, author of The Far Right Today
This outstanding volume is the first to capture the end of Portuguese exceptionalism and the rise of Chega. The contributors offer nuanced and non-hyperbolic analyses of social media usage and rigorous profiles of the party's development, ideology, voters, and members. Students of European politics need to read this volume to learn just how much-but also how little-Chega has in common with other radical right parties of the fourth wave.
David Art, Professor of Political Science, Tufts University
This volume provides a comprehensive account of a major shift in Portuguese party politics: the rise of Chega. Using data from multiple sources, the contributors trace the partys belated but rapid ascent and offer extremely valuable insights to the comparative study of the populist radical right in Europe.
Pedro C. Magalhães, Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon
