The Week em Breve Sept 8 to 14
Welcome to the Week em Breve, a wrap-up of important Portuguese news to keep you up to date and in the know.
Only 1 in 33 Brazilians in Portugal are registered to vote in local elections
Just 3% of Brazilians living in Portugal, who are eligible to vote for municipal government here, have registered to vote in this year’s municipal elections, according to Professor Catarina Reis Oliveira of the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP) at the University of Lisbon, Público reports.
This is lower than the 5% average across all immigrant groups in the country, and significantly lower than some communities, such as Cape Verdeans, 22% of whom are registered, Público reports.
During the registration period, immigrant associations campaigned for foreigners to engage more with local elections. But there were reports of people struggling to register because of Parish Council (freguesia) officials.
Disengagement from the political process may be a wider issue, with a recent Local Government Barometer report concluding that only 61% of people surveyed in urban municipalities were able to identify the party running their local government, Portugal News reports.
Information on which foreigners living in Portugal are eligible to vote in the country’s elections is available at Portal do Eleitor. Registration closes 60 days before the election, so fr the Oct. 12 elections, the deadline was Aug. 12.
Chega leads voting poll
An opinion poll by the Aximage agency found that if there were a legislative election now, far-right party Chega would take the lead, Diário de Notícias reports.
The poll, done on behalf of Diário de Notícias, found that 26.8% of respondents supported Chega, overtaking the winners of the May 18 elections, the Democratic Alliance (AD, Aliança Democrática) with 25.9%, and the Socialist Party (23.6%).
The poll has a margin of error of 4.1% and is based on 570 interviews conducted between Sept. 2 and 5.
AIMA complaints double, mainly about poor services
Complaints to AIMA more than doubled from the first to the second quarter of 2025, and almost half were about inadequate or inefficient services, The Portugal News reports.
Complaints in the last two months are also 44.9% higher than the same period last year, with Brazilian citizens filing the most, followed by citizens of China and India.
The Brazilian ambassador in Lisbon said that bureaucracy and delays in regularisation are the biggest hurdles to the integration of Brazilians in Portugal.
“Many Brazilians face delays and other practical difficulties in obtaining their residence permits and the right to family reunification, for example, even if they have submitted their applications correctly and are up to date with their obligations,” Ambassador Raimundo Carreiro Silva said in a written interview with Lusa.
Immigrants plan parliament protest for September 17
A demonstration is planned for Wednesday, the day Parliament reconvenes, over changes to the nationality law and purported “illegalities” by the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA, Agência para a Integração Migrações e Asilo), according to Lusa.
News of the demonstration was shared by former Left Bloc MP José Soeiro, who said the government was “spending a lot of money on the penal system on repressive policies against immigrant workers” that could be used for public services, such as the regularization of immigrants.
The protest will coincide with the resumption of the debate around the immigration law and the nationality law, which will return to the Assembly after being rejected by the Constitutional Court.
NOVA takes a top spot in school rankings
The Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal has climbed the tables to come in fourth in the 2025 FT Masters in Management Ranking, the Financial Times reports.
Participation in the Masters in Management ranking is voluntary, and evaluates programs based on 19 criteria that include career progression, internationalization, and diversity.
Pedro Oliveira, Dean of Nova SBE, said in a statement: “This achievement marks the first time a Portuguese School’s management program ranks in the world’s top five.
“We are extremely proud of these results because they represent more than just a ranking position. Above all, they acknowledge the collective effort of our community, which translates into real impact on the lives of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff.”
