National Democratic Alternative (Portugal)

National Democratic Alternative
Alternativa Democrática Nacional
AbbreviationADN
PresidentBruno Fialho
Founded28 September 2021 (2021-09-28)
Preceded byDemocratic Republican Party
HeadquartersEstrada da Luz, 71
1600–165 Lisboa
IdeologySocial conservatism[1]
COVID-19 denialism
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Climate change denialism
Portuguese nationalism
Political positionFar-right[2][3]
Colours  Blue
Assembly of the Republic
0 / 230
European Parliament
0 / 21
Regional
parliaments
0 / 104
Local
government
0 / 2,078
Website
adn.com.pt

The National Democratic Alternative (Portuguese: Alternativa Democrática Nacional, ADN), originally the Democratic Republican Party (Portuguese: Partido Democrático Republicano, PDR) until October 2021, is a Portuguese political party, founded in 2014. In 2022, the party attracted some attention for its COVID-19 denialist views after the party president claimed on a televised debate that "there wasn't an excess of mortality in Portugal because of Covid",[4] and that "there is proof that only 152 people died of Covid (in Portugal)".[5]

On 22 September 2022, the party left the European Democratic Party due to ideological divergencies regarding the LGBT community.[6]

The party has a significant support base from Brazilian Evangelical Christians, as Brazilian and Portuguese immigrants have the right to vote in each other's elections. Brazilian congressman and Evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano endorsed the party. Policies that appeal to Evangelicals include opposition to drugs and abortion.[7][8]

The party achieved its best electoral result in the 2024 Portuguese legislative election. During the election it was involved in a controversy with the Democratic Alliance (AD) spearheaded by the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The AD alleged that ADN was taking its votes by having similar initials. Leader Bruno Fialho said that these allegations were evidence that AD leader Luís Montenegro believed that the Portuguese people were stupid; Fialho added that nobody had confused the PSD with its main rival, the Socialist Party (PS).[8]

  1. ^ "PDR muda de nome para Alternativa Democrática Nacional (ADN) e tem novos estatutos". JM Madeira. 12 October 2021.
  2. ^ Freire, Maria (10 March 2024). "Fenómeno ADN: o partido que cresceu seis vezes mais (e ainda não parou)". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Portugal - Global Project Against Hate and Extremism". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. ^ Gomes, João Francisco. "Fact Check. "Não houve um excesso de mortalidade em Portugal por causa do Covid", como diz candidato da ADN Bruno Fialho?". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ^ SAPO. "O debate dos 11 partidos sem assento parlamentar e as 8 mentiras mais polémicas do confronto". Polígrafo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  6. ^ "ADN desvincula-se do PDE/EDP devido a posições polémicas – Partido ADN". June 2022.
  7. ^ Iacomini, Franco (5 March 2024). "Brazilian Evangelicals Bring Their Political Playbook to Portugal". Christianity Today. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Líder do ADN recusa confusão com AD e conta com apoio de bolsonaristas e evangélicos" (in Portuguese). CNN Portugal. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.