LISBON, May 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Voters in Portugal go to the polls Sunday in the country’s third general election in three years, with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro tipped to win, without securing a majority in parliament.
Final surveys indicate his centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) is ahead of the Socialist Party (PS) and will likely pick up more seats — but once again fall short of the 116 seats needed in Portugal’s 230-seat parliament for majority rule.
The populist far-right Chega party is on track to finish third once more, making it a potential kingmaker although Montenegro has refused to govern with the formation.
Polling stations in the nation of around 10 million open at 8 am and close at 8 pm, with final results expected several hours later.
The election in the European Union member state comes as Europe grapples with global trade tensions and seeks to beef up its defences following President Donald Trump’s warnings the United States may not protect NATO allies in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At a final rally in Lisbon on Friday, Montenegro urged voters to give him a stronger mandate so Portugal can better face this “geopolitical turmoil”.
“We have to do our part at home, and we have to be part of the solutions abroad, in Europe and in the world. And for that we need a strong government,” he said.
Sunday’s election was called after Montenegro, a 52-year-old lawyer, lost a parliamentary vote of confidence in March that he himself had proposed following accusations of conflicts of interest stemming from his consulting firm’s business.
The company had several clients that hold government contracts. Montenegro has denied wrongdoing, saying has not been involved in the running of the consultancy, which he has now passed on to his children.
PS leader Pedro Nuno Santos, a 48-year-old economist, has accused Montenegro of engineering the elections “to avoid explaining himself” about the firm to a parliamentary inquiry.
But only one in five voters feel the case is “very important” while 29 percent think it has no importance at all, according to a final pre-election opinion survey carried out by Lisbon’s Catholic University released on Thursday.
Portuguese voters “have a certain tolerance” for such conflict-of-interest cases, said University of Lisbon political scientist Felipa Raimundo.
“It hasn’t really had the dimension that the opposition would have hoped for in the campaign,” she added.
Montenegro has cut income taxes for youths, raised pensions and toughened immigration policy, vowing to put an end to what he called a “wide-open doors” policy.
Under a previous PS government, Portugal became one of Europe’s most open countries for immigrants. Between 2017 and 2024, the number of foreigners living in Portugal quadrupled, reaching about 15 percent of the total population.
Montenegro’s government announced during the campaign the expulsion of some 18,000 irregular immigrants, leading to accusations it was pandering to far-right voters and taking a page from the Trump playbook.
Like other far-right parties that have gained ground across Europe, Chega has tapped into concerns over immigration and crime.
But Chega has also faced embarrassment, including claims one of its lawmakers repeatedly stole luggage from airport carousels.
Its leader, 42-year-old former football commentator Andre Ventura, abruptly left two rallies due to stomach pain during the final week of the campaign and was rushed to hospital both days but made a surprise appearance at the party’s final event on Friday. — NNN-AGENCIES
