Exit polls show Portugal’s centre-right coalition is on track to narrowly defeat the incumbent Socialists, but fall well short of a majority, with far-right party Chega nearly tripling in a closely contested snap election. The prospect gets the most votes and finishes in 3rd place.
Three opinion polls released shortly after voting closed at 8pm local time showed that the Democratic Union, an electoral base made up of the large Social Democratic Party (PSD) and two smaller conservative parties, was behind the Socialist Party. This indicates that it is expected to finish voting before (PS). .
Chega is expected to significantly increase his share of the vote and come in third place, raising the prospect that he could act as a kingmaker in the formation of a new centre-right government.
The survey was published by three major television channels: SIC, RTP and TVI. Early tallies reflected exit polls. By 9 p.m. local time, about 70% of the votes had been counted, with the Democratic Alliance gaining 31.5%, PS just under 29%, and Chega just over 19%.
Sunday could be a major victory for Chega, the populist far-right party founded five years ago by Andre Ventura, a former TV soccer pundit and former PSD rising star. The party made strides in the 2019 elections, winning 1.3% of the vote and winning its first parliamentary seat. Three years later, it won 12 seats with 7.2% of the vote.
The vote followed the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa in November after an investigation was launched into alleged irregularities in his government’s handling of large-scale green investment projects.
Costa, who has been president since 2015 and won an unexpected absolute majority in the 2022 general election, has not been charged with any crime. He said that although his conscience was clear, he felt he had no choice but to resign because “the office of Prime Minister is incompatible with any doubts about my integrity”.
He also announced that he would not run for prime minister in the elections, leaving the PS in the hands of Pedro Nuno Santos, a former infrastructure minister from the party’s left.
PSD leader Luis Montenegro has explicitly ruled out any deal with Chega, citing Ventura’s “often xenophobic, racist, populist and overly inflammatory” views. He is likely to face considerable criticism. pressure from own party If you need Chega’s help to stop the left from holding power.
Even with the support of a small center-right Liberal Initiative, a potential Democratic Alliance-led minority government would likely still have to rely on Chega support to pass legislation, and its stability is at risk. It will be left in the hands of far-right parties.
If the vote permits, the socialists could also try to form a left-wing government by rekindling previous agreements with the Left Bloc parties and the Portuguese Communist Party.
According to Expresso newspaper, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he would do everything possible to prevent Chega from taking office, including vetoing any move to replace Montenegro’s prime minister if the right-wing party wins. , breaking the tradition of presidential neutrality. majority.
Ventura is Reacting to the president’s reported comments“In Portugal, it is the voters who choose the government, not the president of the republic.”
The Socialist Party had hoped that the threat of the far right moving closer to the government would rally centrist voters as it did in 2022, while the Democratic Alliance promised change after eight years of socialist rule and cut taxes. and economic growth through economic improvement. It put pressure on public services.
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Mr Chega, meanwhile, is seeking to capitalize on widespread discontent within Portugal’s mainstream left- and right-wing parties as the country continues to suffer from a housing crisis, a strained health and education system and low wages.
“Never in Portugal’s history have we had a better chance of overthrowing the bipartisan system that has been killing us for the past 50 years,” Ventura said at a recent Chega rally in northern Portugal. told the people. “I’ve never been this close.”
The party has also made corruption a central theme of its election campaign, with giant billboards across the country reading “Portugal must be cleaned up”.
The investigation that led to the fall of Costa’s government looked into possible “corruption, active and passive corruption of politicians, and influence peddling” and included searches of the environment ministry, infrastructure ministry and Costa’s official residence. , five people were arrested. Among them was his chief of staff.of Five people were later released. The investigating judge then reserved only the charge of propagation of influence.
This is not the only scandal plaguing PS. Former Socialist Prime Minister José Socrates is scheduled to go on trial for allegedly embezzling 34 million euros from three companies during his government from 2005 to 2011. The former prime minister denies his involvement in fraud or money laundering, claiming: His innocence.
The PSD has also faced corruption allegations, with two prominent Madeira party leaders recently resigning amid corruption investigations.
