Why Portugal is drifting to the far-right?

For the first time since the fall of the dictatorial regime of the Estado Novo 50 years ago, the ultra-rights will be in power and and influence Portuguese politics. Why did this happen — and what does it mean for Portugal and Europe?

Image from Pintarest

Christian Democracy faces new challenges: human rights, migration, political correctness

The European Union was formed on the values of Christian democracy and originally included six countries. Nowadays, the EU includes 27 countries, they are different not only economically but also, weirdly as it may sound, religiously. Despite the fact that the unifying factor is Christian values, the attitude to religion and the role of religion and the church in these countries differ: Catholic Spain, Portugal, Poland, Protestant Germany, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Holland, Orthodox Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, in addition, in France and Germany live millions of Muslim immigrants.

The problem of modern Europe is to maintain a balance between, on the one hand, pluralism of cultures, the desire for legislative regulation of their peaceful coexistence in the difficult conditions of the migration crisis and, on the other hand, the increasing emphasis on human rights, the leveling of differences and political correctness.

The Christian Democrats have been the dominant force of the EU throughout its history since its creation. Today, however, their position is being undermined by the growing popularity of the ultra-rights.

The ideology of the Christian Democrats is based on Christian values in the concept of human rights, while the ultra-rights use traditional Christian values to justify the failure of liberal policies.

Preserving unity in diversity becomes the most important point of the Christian Democrats’ policy. The dilemma lies in the fact that, on the one hand, it is necessary to recognize the equality of all cultures, to unify cultural and religious differences in accordance with the new ethics, and on the other hand, to build relations with the ultra-right, whose main program is the preservation of European identity and the implementation of a tough migration policy.

Christian democracy is currently facing serious challenges: immigration and the preservation of European identity, issues of bioethics and human rights, the secularization of society, and the replacement of Christian values with civil rights and freedoms. Europe is caught between two real political forces: the Christian Democrats and the ultra-rights, which are strengthening their positions in almost all EU countries. Recently, ultra-right parties have been winning elections everywhere and gaining chairs in governments and parliaments (in particular, in Finland, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands). The elections to the European Parliament also resulted in the strengthening of the ultra-right sector. Despite the fact that the United People’s Party (Christian Democrats) remained the leading faction, the election result is there is a completely new ultra-right fкaction called “Europe of Sovereign Nations” with 25 MEPs, as well as “Patriots for Europe” with 84 MEPs, making it the third largest group in the Parliament. Together, the far-right sector is represented by 109 MEPs.

Image from the European Parliament web https://www.europarl.europa.eu/

The ultra-rights: defenders or destroyers of European identity?

Why did European society, having gone through the collapse of fascist and communist regimes, paradoxically choose ultra-right parties? What is the ideology of the ultra-right that has contributed to their success in the EU? The main provisions are peace in Europe, controlled immigration, defense of national sovereignty, defense of traditional Christian values and traditional family model, preservation of European culture and identity. These items are typical for all the European ultra-rights.

The obvious reasons are the active enlargement of the EU, the open door policy and multiculturalism. The open door policy, based on humanistic ideals, has led Western European society to realize its identity and, as a consequence, to the growing popularity of extreme right-wing parties and their populist ideas ranging from radical reform to withdrawal from the EU and the eurozone.

Why is Portugal turning right?

What is most interesting to me is the story of Portugal, a country that survived a forty-year dictatorship and joined the EU fairly quickly, choosing the democratic path, voting for the ultra-right Chega party in national and European Parliament elections. For the first time since the fall of the dictatorial regime of the Estado Novo 50 years ago, the ultra-rights will be in power and influence Portuguese politics. Moreover, Chega is a part of European Parliament fraction “Patriots for Europe” (Ricardo Dias Pinto represents Chega)

Image from https://patriots.eu/

The election process for both the national and European parliaments in Portugal has taken place against a backdrop of economic and social crisis, leading to a decline in confidence in traditional parties in Europe, such as in Portugal the PS and PSD parties, which have dominated Portuguese politics since the 1974 “Carnation Revolution.”

Like other European ultra-right parties, Chega declares a tough migration policy, drawing on cultural and religious differences and arguing for the preservation of European identity. In 2021, Chega adopted a new slogan: “God, Country, Family and Labor,” an obvious reference to Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar’s Estado Novo slogan “God, Country, Family,” which believed that the state should be spiritual and based on traditional values.

Image from Chega web https://partidochega.pt/

Transformation of Christian ideals in the secular era

Spiritual values are ideas and principles significant for a person, society and for mankind. But “values” is a relative concept, society does not stand still, develops, and with it values are constructed on the basis of religious, scientific and historical experience. Christian values become secular values, and new secular values find support in Christian texts. The European values as the fundamental basis of the European Union, enshrined in its founding documents, are secular and legal, but the concept of human rights and freedoms was born in Christianity. Such values as respect for human dignity, equality, recognition of human rights and freedoms, tolerance and multiculturalism find their roots in the New Testament: “where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in al is Christ” (Epistle to the Colossians 3:11). Thus, religion, on the one hand, shapes national identity, emphasizes cultural differences, on the other hand, the European Union redefines the Christian heritage in the context of political correctness, unifying differences.

Obviously, the success of the ultra-rights is due to the population’s frustration with unresolved problems to which the ultra-right has desirable and rather simple solutions. Simple answers to complex challenges are understandable and attractive. History has proven that any extremes are dangerous. Despite the legitimization of the ultra-right, historical memory will act as a deterrent. Christian democracy must respond to the challenges of the time and preserve Europe as a space where religious and cultural differences are the basis for dialog, not conflict.