Three exit polls showed that Portugal’s center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) gained the most votes in the country’s parliamentary election but fell far short of an outright majority. The three main television stations, SIC, RTP, and TVI, presented polls after voting ended at 8 pm (20:00 GMT) on Sunday, showing the AD coalition in the 27.6-33 percent range, just ahead of the incumbent Socialists.
This early election is taking place because socialist leader Antonio Costa, who served eight years as prime minister, resigned in November amid a corruption investigation involving his chief of staff although Costa has not been accused of any crime
The election took place with 10.8 million voters. The election campaign has been dominated by problems such as a crippling housing crisis, poor salaries, falling healthcare, and corruption.
According to nearly complete official statistics, the Democratic Alliance received 29.49% of the votes in Sunday’s election, narrowly defeating the Socialists, who received 28.66%. This would suggest that the AD is on track to win 79 members in the 230-seat assembly compared to the Socialists’ 77.
The PS has received criticism from the public after Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned due to a corruption inquiry. The far-right Chega (Enough) party’s 18 percent vote share means it might win 48 seats, up from 12 in the previous election in 2022.
With no party claiming a clear majority, it is now up to AD to build a ruling coalition.