Portugal heads to its third election in almost three years after Prime Minister's scandalous resignation
Kyiv • UNN
The President of Portugal has announced early parliamentary elections on May 18 after the resignation of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. The Socialist Party is leading in opinion polls.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced on Thursday that early parliamentary elections would be held on May 18 - the third national election in almost three years - after the scandalous resignation of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, with the Socialist Party leading in public opinion polls, UNN reports citing AFP.
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The country's president said he wanted to act quickly to avoid prolonged instability, adding in a televised address that May 18 was "the preferred date for most parties".
Rebelo de Sousa met with party leaders on Wednesday and earlier on Thursday convened a meeting of the Council of State, which mainly consists of political leaders, for consultations before dissolving parliament.
"No one expected or wanted these elections" during a period of tense international conflicts, he said, urging parties to focus their campaigns on issues "that concern Portuguese people in their daily lives," such as the economy and healthcare.
Montenegro resigned on Tuesday after his center-right minority government lost a vote of no confidence. The leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) has been struggling with attacks over government contracts owned by his family's companies.
The Socialist Party won a majority in the parliamentary elections in January 2022. But due to scandals, the party lost its majority in the snap elections in March 2024.
Socialist Party leader António Costa resigned after an investigation into his role in awarding government contracts. He has denied any wrongdoing and became President of the European Council last year.
A public opinion poll published on Tuesday by Diario de Noticias showed that the Socialists are slightly ahead in terms of voting intentions - 30.8 percent.
The center-right Democratic Alliance group, led by Montenegro, received 25.8 percent, followed by the far-right Chega party with approximately 17 percent.
Montenegro has said he will run for prime minister again in the election.
Political scientist António Costa Pinto of the University of Lisbon said that Rebelo de Sousa's call for elections, also loyal to the PSD, was a kind of tactical "retreat".
This was aimed at avoiding an official investigation into Montenegro's alleged conflict of interest and trying to allow him to "survive politically," the analyst said.
The dispute that led to Montenegro's downfall centered around a service company owned by his wife and children that has contracts with a number of private firms, including one that has received government concessions.
The former prime minister said the family business would now belong exclusively to his children, but the opposition insisted he provide further details.
