Portugal votes as far right seeks kingmaker role

Opinion polls suggest neither the Socialists nor the opposition centre-right is likely to win outright. This could leave the far-right Chega party as kingmaker, although mainstream rivals have vowed to sideline it. The election comes four months after Antonio Costa’s resignation as prime minister. Chega won 7% of the vote in the 2022 legislative elections.

Polls suggest it could now double this score, leaving it potentially able to keep a minority centre-right government in power - at a price. The leader of the centre- right Democratic Alliance, Luís Montenegro, has said he would not seek Chega’s support for his programme.

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