In Portugal’s parliamentary elections, according to a 77% vote count, the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) of Luis Montenegro came first with over 36% of the vote.
In second place was the far-right Chega (“enough”) party with more than 23 per cent of the vote, but Montenegro has already announced that he will not enter into any agreements with this political force.
The Socialist Party received less than 23 per cent.
Voters in Portugal on 18 May cast their ballots in the third parliamentary election in three years, a vote that was expected to be unlikely to produce a stable government.
On 11 March, the Portuguese parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the centre-right government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, which led to his resignation and then to the announcement of early elections. This came amid a scandal involving a possible conflict of interest over a consulting firm owned by Montenegro’s family. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Polls show Montenegro’s centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), which is ahead of the Socialist Party (PS) and likely to win more votes than it did in the last election in 2024, could win the election. However, AD is not projected to get the necessary majority in parliament.
The far-right Chega (“enough”) party has a good chance of coming in third again, as it did last year (with around 18 per cent according to polls), but Montenegro has already announced his refusal of any agreement with this political force.
Voter turnout in Portugal is typically low, and some political analysts have expressed concern that it could be even lower this year due to election fatigue.