Portugal’s center-right wins an election but surging populists want a say in the government
A center-right alliance led by the Social Democratic Party has won Portugal’s general election by a slender margin
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A center-right alliance led by the Social Democratic Party has won Portugal’s general election by a slender margin and is set to form a minority government that could have a difficult term in office as a radical-right populist party that came third in the voting tries to get a hand on the levers of power.
Results published late Wednesday after votes from abroad were counted to decide the last four lawmakers from the March 10 balloting gave the Democratic Alliance a final tally of 80 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly, Portugal’s parliament.
The center-left Socialist Party placed second with 78 seats and has said it won’t stand in the way of the Democratic Alliance forming a minority government in an upcoming parliamentary vote.
The hard-right Chega (Enough) party collected 50 seats, up from 12 seats in a 2022 election, in a staggering surge that upends traditional politics in Portugal, where the Social Democrats and Socialists have alternated in power for decades.
