Voters in Portugal vote on Sunday in the third parliamentary elections in three years. According to AFP, the victory of the Democratic Alliance (AD) of Prime Minister Luis Montenegra is expected, but without the majority in parliament, TASR writes.
Recent surveys suggest that his center -right democratic alliance (AD) leads before the opposition socialist party (PS) and is likely to get more seats. Again, however, it will not have enough to achieve the majority, as it needs 116 seats in the 230 -member parliament. The right-wing-populist Party of Chega (enough) was in third place in surveys. This placement makes it a potential key player, although Montenegro refuses to rule it.
The polling stations in Portugal open at 08.00 local time (09.00 CEST) and close them at 8 pm local time (21.00 CEST). According to AFP, the final results are expected several hours after the end of the vote.
Montenegro called on voters on Friday to give him a stronger mandate to better face “geopolitical confusion”. AFP notes that elections in Portugal, the Member State of the European Union, are held at a time when Europe is struggling with global trading tensions and is trying to strengthen its defense.
“We have to make our part at home and be part of the solutions abroad, in Europe and in the world. And we need a strong government for that,” he said.
Sunday elections were announced by President Marcelo rebelo after Montenegro failed in March to pronounce confidence in Parliament, which he himself proposed after charges of conflict of interest related to the business of his counseling company. The company had several clients who had government contracts. Montenegro denied his misconduct and stated that he was not involved in the management of the consulting company, which he now handed over to his children.
Reuters notes that elections that are also influenced by questions such as housing and migration come for decades of fragile governments, of which only one had a parliamentary majority, but it also collapsed in the middle of its mandate last year.
