Chega vs. Bloco de Esquerda: do opposites attract?

At first glance, there is nothing that unites André Ventura, leader of Chega, and Mariana Mortágua, coordinator of Bloco de Esquerda (BE). They are perhaps the two most distant parties ideologically and it is necessary to look at the electoral programs of both with a magnifying glass to find some similarities in certain areas.

But let's get to the measures. While the Left Bloc wants to tax digital companies and large fortunes – this tax applies to fortunes above 3,500 times the national minimum wage, around three million euros (after deducting debts) – and create a tax on excessive profits for the sectors that have benefited most from inflation and rising interest rates, Chega wants to create a temporary extraordinary contribution on the banking sector and another on oil companies and distributors, applicable to excess profits. Still on the subject of taxes, the party led by Mariana Mortágua advocates the creation of a tax on donations and inheritances, the reduction of VAT to the rate of 6% on electricity, gas and telecommunications and tax exemption for essential food items. Chega also wants to reintroduce zero VAT for essential food goods and expand the previously approved list, as well as apply the reduced VAT rate (6%) to catering and wants to apply the reduced VAT rate (6%) to electricity and gas, and implement a social energy tariff for large families, considering the first 200 kWh consumed per family/month, and provided that the contracted power does not exceed 10.35kVA.

But there are other points in common, such as pensions. André Ventura's party advocates an increase in the minimum pension so that no elderly person has an income of less than 820 euros. This would be done initially. Afterwards, this amount would be at the level of the national minimum wage. In the case of the Left Bloc, although the measure is not exactly the same, it also advocates an increase in pensions. The idea is to increase the minimum amount so that it is possible to ensure that the value of pensions for contributory careers with 20 or more years of contributions is above the poverty line.

We move on to the national minimum wage. Here too they are in agreement and both believe that the value should reach 1000 euros in 2026. Both parties also want teachers' service time to be restored.

In public transport, both parties share the same opinion. The Bloco's programme states that they will "change the way we travel, investing in free public transport throughout the country". Chega also suggests making public transport free on all national networks. As for transport companies, namely TAP, Bloco advocates the nationalisation of the airline – along with Galp, EDP; REN, ANA and CTT – Chega says that it is necessary to "guarantee transparency and responsibility in the management of TAP, promoting strategic partnerships that ensure its economic viability, avoiding any sale to Lufthansa or Air France/KLM until the Ryanair complaint is resolved, and maintaining a shareholding that ensures a presence on the board of directors of TAP and ANA (via renegotiation with VINCI)".

In terms of housing, André Ventura's party says that the solution could involve stimulating and incentivising the construction of affordable housing through partnerships between the public and private sectors, and also advocates reducing VAT to 6% for services related to the design and construction of properties intended for housing. Mariana Mortágua's party also wants to build public housing with a view to reducing prices. However, while the former wants to extend the exemption from IMI for permanent housing for properties whose net worth does not exceed 400 thousand euros, the latter intends to extend the exemption from this tax from three to eight years for homes worth up to 125 thousand euros and incomes of up to 153.3 thousand euros. As for IMT, Chega intends to extend the exemption from this tax and from Stamp Duty for young people up to 40 years old and for homes worth up to 400 thousand euros, while BE wants to reduce it by 50% for the purchase of permanent housing, but increase IMT for second homes by 50%.

In terms of justice, both parties share the same idea of ​​criminalizing illicit enrichment, with Bloco even suggesting the confiscation of assets. The same scenario is repeated in culture. Chega wants to value artistic and cultural production, “through a fair and continuous funding model for artists, creators and structures”. Bloco de Esquerda wants to allocate 1% of GDP to culture in the State Budget. It is clear, therefore, that both parties want to help national culture.

Different purposes Despite some similarities, political scientist José Filipe Pinto clarifies to Nascer do SOL that the purpose of each party's measures «is completely different». He adds: «Both are populist parties, but while Bloco de Esquerda is based on socioeconomic populism – its people are essentially those left behind, those who consider themselves victims of the system, hence the measures are essentially of a socioeconomic nature that allow its electorate to improve their living conditions – Chegue's populism is cultural or identity populism – based on identification with Portuguese values, history and tradition, hence the measures aim to improve living conditions that, in Chega's view, are being jeopardized precisely because there are groups that do not have the right to the protection of the welfare state and are benefiting from it».

According to the political science expert, “for BE, the enemies are the rich and the capitalists, while for Chega the enemy is the other, the one who comes to take advantage of a system that can no longer guarantee the rights of the Portuguese”.