The British-Israel-World Federation

                                                        

The recent general election in Portugal resulted in a marked shift to the right.

It consolidated the rise of the populist Chega party, which quadrupled its seats in parliament.

The centre-right Democratic Alliance took the most seats to beat the Socialists, whose vote share collapsed, but the big story was the success of Chega, which came in third. 

Two years ago, Chega had just 12 seats in parliament but now has 48.  The party was formed in 2019 and two years ago it secured just 7% of the votes in an election but on Sunday that figure rose to 18%.

The following day the headline on the website of Time magazine was: ‘Portugal Joins Europe’s Shift to the Right as Populist Chega Party Surges in Election’.

That shift to the right in Europe is significant and we have seen it in several countries, including the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and Greece.

Opposition to mass immigration, woke ideologies and corruption have certainly been key factors in that rightward shift across mainland Europe.  Populist parties are also nationalist parties and therefore more Eurosceptic. 

Meanwhile centrist and socialist governments seem incapable of addressing the concerns that many people have.  Indeed, centrists and socialists have generally favoured woke ideologies and mass immigration.  They have also embraced the vision of greater European Union integration, which would lead to a United States of Europe and the end of national sovereignty.

With European Union elections due in just three months, in June, populist parties are expected to make further gains.

The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, but we do well to keep a close eye on what is happening in the European Union, because of its political and prophetical significance.

Politically, parties on the right are expected to gain seats, but this will increase political tensions within the European Union, and prophetically we know from Daniel 2:42-43 that the future of the European Union is bleak.

(42) And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. (43) And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

 

Nelson McCausland

Posted 12 March 2024