In Portugal’s early parliamentary elections, the ruling Democratic Alliance (AD) secured victory but fell short of achieving an outright majority.
The final tally showed AD winning 89 seats out of 230, gaining nine seats compared to the previous election.
“Portuguese people do not want more early elections; they want a four-year legislature,” stated Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. He called the election outcome a vote of confidence that the opposition should respect.
The contest for second place was tightly contested between the Socialist Party and the right-wing Chega (“Enough”). The right-wing party notably outperformed expectations, capturing 58 seats—eight more than in the previous year.
Meanwhile, the Socialists managed only a slim lead of 50,000 votes over Chega but saw their parliamentary representation drop significantly from 78 to 58 seats, delivering a severe blow to one of Portugal’s main parties.
Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos announced his resignation following the results.
Votes from Portuguese citizens living abroad, which are still being counted, could potentially confirm the right-wing as the clear runner-up, marking the first time in nearly four decades that the Socialists would not be among the top two parties.
Prime Minister Montenegro ruled out any coalition with the right-wing, indicating his government will need to seek partial parliamentary support elsewhere unless a different solution emerges. He expressed expectations for another minority government formation.
