Portugal: Government falls for the third time in three years and legalization of cannabis becomes increasingly difficult

Portugal’s centre-right government, led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of the PSD (Social Democratic Party), collapsed today after losing a vote of confidence in Parliament. At issue was an ethics scandal involving a family company owned by Luís Montenegro, which was receiving state funds. This is the third time in three years that Portugal has faced early elections, reflecting a prolonged period of political instability. But what could this mean for the eventual legalisation of cannabis in the country that is now the world’s second-largest exporter?

The current crisis in the Portuguese government was triggered by allegations that Montenegro failed to properly disassociate itself from its legal consultancy, Spinumviva, resulting in potential conflicts of interest. Although Montenegro denies any wrongdoing, the opposition, including the Socialists and the far-right Chega party, voted against the government, leading to its downfall.

This political instability comes at a time when Portugal is facing significant challenges, such as the need to increase defense spending and the growth of anti-immigration sentiments that are strengthening the far right. In addition, the continued perception of corruption among the main parties has fueled public discontent, potentially benefiting radical and populist parties such as Chega in the upcoming elections.

“In the 2024 legislative elections, Chega experienced significant growth, becoming the third political force in the Portuguese Parliament. The far-right party went from 12 to 50 deputies”

Government fall could substantially delay the legalization of cannabis in Portugal

The political uncertainty resulting from this new government collapse in Portugal could further delay the advancement of cannabis-related policies in the country, which is currently the second largest exporter of cannabis in the world, surpassed only by Canada. Chega is, in fact, the only political party that has openly spoken out against the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Portugal, at a conference at the Assembly of the Republic in September 2023.

The issue is that in September 2023, Chega had 12 deputies in the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic, a minority party (in 2019 there was only one deputy, André Ventura). At the time, there was consensus among all parties to move forward with a legalization proposal but nothing was actually presented or voted on. A few months later, on November 7, 2023, the Prime Minister António Costa announced his resignation after the Attorney General's Office confirmed that he was being investigated in a corruption case linked to lithium and green hydrogen projects. This led to the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic and the scheduling of early legislative elections for March 10, 2024.

Chega's exponential growth in the Portuguese Parliament

André Ventura is the leader of Chega, the far-right party in Portugal. In 2019, he was the only MP with a parliamentary seat. In 2022, Chega increased its number to 12 MPs and in 2024 to 50. Photo: DR

In the 2024 legislative elections, Chega experienced significant growth, becoming the third political force in Parliament. The far-right party grew from 12 to 50 deputies, consolidating its position as one of the protagonists of the new political configuration. This growth reflected popular discontent with traditional parties, especially after the corruption scandals that hit the PS.

The new parliamentary composition made it difficult to form a stable government, since the PSD, which won the elections with the Democratic Alliance (AD), refused to make formal agreements with Chega, even though it depended on its votes to approve measures in Parliament. This situation contributed to the political instability that today culminated in the fall of Luís Montenegro's government.

This cycle of instability makes it difficult to implement consistent reforms and could negatively affect several sectors that are awaiting clear regulations, such as cannabis. This is especially true if Chega continues to grow in representation in the Portuguese Parliament.

What does Chega say about cannabis?

In September 2023, and representing the Chega Parliamentary Group, Pedro dos Santos Frazão made explicit his party's rejection of the regulation of cannabis, which is absolutely against legalization.

“A joint is the beginning of a life of drug addiction”

At the conference “Exposure to Cannabis in Adolescence and Health”, which took place on September 19, 2023 at the Almeida Santos Auditorium, in the Assembly of the Republic, several deputies with parliamentary seats discussed the issue of 'recreational' cannabis. The debate, moderated by lawyer João Taborda da Gama, featured several interventions by the deputies, in a session with a “regulatory” model, with 8 minutes for each deputy to position themselves on the issue that, according to the moderator, “terrifies everyone the most: the problem of young people's exposure to cannabis.

Pedro Santos Frazão, deputy for Chega (center) clearly expressed his opposition to the legalization of cannabis in September 2023

Chega MP Pedro dos Santos Frazão quoted Madeiran psychologist Nelson Carvalho, director of services at the Operational Unit for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies in Madeira: “I am totally against the legalisation of cannabis. In fact, it confuses me a bit because we are going through a highly restrictive tobacco policy and we are going through a highly liberalised cannabis policy. This is worrying”.

The deputy quoted the Madeiran psychologist as saying that “legalization is a political issue and not a health issue”. The deputy also looked at the opinion of the coordinator of the former National Mental Health Plan, who, according to the deputy, “did not believe that the legalization of recreational cannabis would bring benefits in the fight against drug addiction”.

Pedro Santos Frazão stated that this issue is not a scientific problem, arguing that several scientists who came to the Assembly of the Republic are against the legalization of cannabis, and accused the socialist party of approving “what is their desire through laws that go against what the experts say”. Representing Chega, Frazão was completely against it, arguing that his is the only party that takes this position. “We have the streets with us, we know that we have our families with us”, arguing that “a joint is the beginning of a life of drug addiction”.

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Laura Ramos

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With a degree in Journalism from the University of Coimbra, Laura Ramos has a postgraduate degree in Photography and has been a Journalist since 1998. Winner of the Business of Cannabis Awards in the category "Journalist of the Year 2024", Laura was a correspondent for Jornal de Notícias in Rome, Italy, and Press Officer in the Office of the Minister of Education of the 2018st Portuguese Government. She has an international certification in Permaculture (PDC) and created the street-art photography archive “What does Lisbon say?” @saywhatlisbon. Co-founder and Editor of CannaReporter® and coordinator of PTMC - Portugal Medical Cannabis, Laura made the documentary “Pacientes” in XNUMX and was part of the steering group of the first Postgraduate Course in GxP's for Medicinal Cannabis in Portugal, in partnership with the Military Laboratory and the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.

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