Lisbon, Portugal (AP) – A general election in Portugal was about to deliver another minority government, a suggested exit survey, while the increasingly fragmented political landscape defies the efforts to unite behind policies on questions such as immigrationaccommodation and cost of living.
The central-right democratic alliance has captured between 29% and 34% of the votes in the country third general election in three yearsAccording to the exit survey of the Catholic University of Portugal for the public broadcaster Radotelevisao Portuguesa.
The Socialist Party of Center-Gauche obtained between 21% and 26%, while the right-wing populist party, Chega (enough) had between 20% and 24%, indicated the survey.
With this count, the democratic alliance could obtain between 85 and 96 seats, unless the 116 necessary for a majority in the Parliament of Portugal with 230 places. It could form a minority government or forge partnerships with smaller parties to obtain a majority.
Most official results are expected at midnight (2,300 GMT).
Acclamations and applause broke out at the siege of the democratic alliance campaign when the exit survey was broadcast. The socialist seat was largely silent while the party faced what could be its worst result since 1987.
Chega’s possible count was a surprise, potentially putting it near a level place with the Socialist Party. Chega participated in his first election six years ago when he won a seat. The release survey of Sunday gave it up to 61, against 50 in last year’s elections, because it gave dissatisfaction with the main traditional parties.
A second minority government following Portugal would precipitate the end of the worst fate of political instability for decades for the country of the European Union of 10.6 million people.
For the last 50 yearsTwo parties dominated politics, the social democrats, who direct the democratic alliance, and the Socialist Party alternating to power.
But public frustration with regard to their file in government has fueled the growth of new alternatives in recent years. This denied the largest parts of the Parliament enough for a necessary majority to ensure that they serve a complete four -year mandate.
“This campaign was very, very weak, had ridiculous moments, like the clownic. Very little was spoken of Portugal within the European Union – it is as if we were not part of it,” said professor Isabel Monteiro, 63, in Lisbon, adding that she felt “disenchantment” with all the parties.
The central-right alliance had directed opinion polls
The democratic alliance, which also includes the small popular party, lost a vote In Parliament in March after less than a year in power, while the opposition legislators joined it. This sparked a first election, which was due in 2028.
The vote of confidence was launched by a political storm around conflicts of potential interests in the commercial relations of the firm of family lawyers of the Social Democratic Prime Minister Luís. Montenegro has denied any reprehensible act and is standing for re -election.
Corruption scandals have darkened Portuguese policy in recent years. This helped fuel the climb of Chega, whose chief André Ventura says he has a “zero tolerance” for a fault in office.
But Chega recently fell against the alleged reprehensible acts of its own legislators.
One is suspected of having stolen suitcases at Lisbon airport and the sale of online content, and another would have simulated the signature of a deceased woman. The two resigned.
“We lack people with character, with justice,” said Alexandre Cardoso, a 75 -year -old retiree. “It worries me more because of my grandchildren.
Immigration and housing are key problems
Chega owes a large part of his success to his requests for a stricter immigration policy that has resonated with the voters.
Portugal has had a sharp increase in immigration. In 2018, there were less than half a million legal immigrants in the country, according to government statistics. At the beginning of this year, there were more than 1.5 million, many of which Brazilian and Asian working in tourism and agriculture.
Thousands of others do not have the appropriate documents in Portugal. The outgoing government announced two weeks before the elections it would expel around 18,000 foreigners living in the country without authorization. Although such a step was a routine, the timing attracted accusations that he was trying to capture Chega votes.
The socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, who is also for the Prime Minister, described this decision as an “attenuation” of Portuguese policy, referring to the accent put by American president Donald Trump on immigration policies.
A housing crisis also triggered a debate. The prices and rents of arrow housing for 10 years, partly due to an influx of strangers in white collar which increased the prices.
Housing prices jumped 9% last year, said National Statistics Institute, a government body. The rents in and around the capital Lisbon, where around 1.5 million people live, had the highest increase in 30 years last year, climbing more than 7%, said the Institute.
The problem is aggravated by Portugal being one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.
The average monthly salary of last year was around 1,200 euros ($ 1,340) before the tax, according to the Statistics Agency. The government’s minimum wage this year is 870 euros ($ 974) per month before tax.
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A previous version of this story has been corrected to show that 116, not 166, seats are necessary for a majority in Parliament.