Chega's Lisbon Candidate Blames 'Useful Vote' for Falling Short in Local Elections

Bruno Mascarenhas, the Chega party's candidate for mayor of Lisbon, expressed disappointment with the results of Sunday's local elections, attributing the outcome to the 'useful vote' phenomenon that benefited the winning coalition led by Carlos Moedas.

Election Results Overview

In a statement to Lusa, Mascarenhas admitted, "This result was obviously not what we expected; we had hoped for a more significant vote." After the final parish, Lumiar, was tallied, Chega secured third place in the Lisbon mayoral race, edging out the CDU (PCP/PEV) by a mere 11 votes.

Carlos Moedas, the social-democrat leading the PSD/CDS-PP/IL coalition, won re-election with 41.69% of the vote, earning eight mandates. The PS/Livre/BE/PAN coalition, headed by socialist Alexandra Leitão, garnered 33.95% and six mandates. Chega received 10.10% of the vote, resulting in two elected officials, while the CDU obtained 10.09% and one mandate.

Impact of the Useful Vote

Mascarenhas criticized the useful vote strategy, stating, "We were clearly harmed by this phenomenon, which is somewhat incomprehensible given the city's current state and how voters still chose to give a new vote of confidence to engineer Moedas. In our view, he did not deserve it, but we absolutely respect the will of Lisbon's residents."

Earlier in the evening, he had voiced displeasure at the prospect of trailing behind the CDU's João Ferreira, but after the narrow victory was confirmed, he emphasized, "I take no satisfaction from being ahead of the CDU. Competing with the PCP is something that displeases me in itself."

Future Priorities in Office

Once in the municipal executive, Mascarenhas outlined his top priority as enhancing oversight. He explained, "There is a lack of supervision now, which is essential for regulating various sectors of the city." Additionally, he aims to combat corruption within the Lisbon City Council and municipal companies, targeting what he described as cronyism.

He reiterated, "I have no interest in this dispute with the CDU because our natural competition is with the PSD and PS; those are the ones we truly want to defeat, not the CDU."