Portugal Election Manipulation: The Impact of Fake Profiles

Cyabra analyzed online discourse preceding Portugal’s 2025 election and uncovered fake campaigns targeting parties and candidates from both sides of the political landscape.

Cyabra's analysis in the lead-up to Portugal's general election in May 2025 focused on the official accounts of political parties and their candidates, examining the narratives promoted by inauthentic
actors and the strategies employed to embed these messages into public discourse.

Cyabra found that 58% of the profiles commenting on Chega’s official X account were identified as fake, amplifying hundreds of pro-Chega comments. Across the official X accounts of the Socialist Party (PS), Social Democratic Party (PSD), Pedro Nuno Santos, and Luís Montenegro, an average of 49% of commenting profiles were fake.

Many of the fake profiles that attacked PS and PSD were also found promoting Chega and Ventura, sometimes within the same comment threads. This cross-campaign activity suggests a coordinated strategy to weaken establishment parties while amplifying support for the far-right alternative.

#Elections, Threat Actors