VICTORY FOR CENTRE-RIGHT

 

The centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), led by Luís Montenegro, won the most votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election, though not enough to form a stable government.

 

The centre-left Socialist Party (PS), led by Pedro Nuno Santos, finished second with 23%, just ahead of the far-right Chega party, led by Andre Ventura, which garnered a surprising 22.56%.

 

Chega emerged as the leading party in the Algarve and elsewhere across southern Portugal. It remains to be seen whether the Socialists will join the AD again in a coalition government, but neither of the centrist parties is likely to align with the populist right.

 

All 230 seats in the Assembly of the Republic were contested. The PS and Chega each secured 58 seats.

 

Centrist parties have dominated Portuguese politics since the 1974 revolution, which dramatically replaced the dictatorship with democracy. However, instability has been the norm for the past decade. The cost of living, housing shortages, and immigration are the main concerns among voters today. Another key issue is a lack of confidence in politicians.

 

There have been three governments in the past three years, each brought down by scandal and necessitating another snap election.

 

Prime Minister Montenegro was sworn in just over a year ago. His party formed a coalition with the PS Social Democrats and the CSD People’s Party. This was not expected to last long — and it didn’t.

 

Allegations against Prime Minister Montenegro concerning a conflict of interest involving his family’s business sparked a scandal. Montenegro denied the claims but lost a parliamentary confidence vote and was obliged to call another snap election. A previous scandal had brought down the Socialist government of António Costa.

 

These events have fuelled widespread public dissatisfaction with the ruling political class.

 

More than 10,850,000 Portuguese citizens were registered to vote in Sunday’s ballot, though a low turnout was expected.

 

Despite the fragility of recent governments, Portugal has outperformed most European countries in economic growth, run budget surpluses, and reduced its debt under both centre-left and centre-right administrations.

 

The future of major projects — such as lithium mining and the long-discussed privatisation of the TAP airline — could face further delays.

 

In foreign policy, the new government is expected to continue condemning Israel’s brutality in Gaza and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Written by Len Port.

Edited by Catriona Anderson.