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Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who has been in power since 2015, topped the results of Sunday’s assembly elections in Portugal, which marked a turning point for the far right in a referendum and did not exclude the country from politics. Turmoil.
Abandoned by allies of the far left and called for early elections, Costa may not be able to secure an absolute majority as in previous elections.
The 60-year-old said he would have to negotiate harder to get the support he needs in parliament to stay in office.
Exit polls suggest Socialist Party is leading with 37 to 42.5 percent of the vote and 100 to 118 out of 230. Previous elections in 2019 (36, 3 percent and 108 delegates).
Parliament appears to be generally controlled by the left, with the Left Bloc winning three to ten seats and the Socialist-Green Alliance three to eight seats.
The opposition Social Democrats, led by former Porto mayor Rui Rio, came in second with 27 to 35 percent of the vote and 75 to 95 percent of the delegates.
Extreme right penetration
According to the far-right “Shika” party, led by Andre Ventura, it will win 6 to 14 seats with 8.5 percent of the vote, and could become the country’s third-largest political force as its representation was low in the last election. To a spouse.
Costa insists that he has “turned to austerity” in the budget imposed by the right, thanks to the historic alliance he has formed with the two forms of the extreme left, the Black and Communists and the Greens.
But while his minority government was working to “turn the tide of the epidemic” due to the registered vaccination campaign and receiving European funding as part of a post-Govt recovery plan, both of his allies rejected his draft budget for 2022. Called for early legislative elections.
‘Lack of sense of responsibility’
“I hope it’s safe for everyone to go to the polls,” Costa said, adding that about 300,000 people voted in the pre – poll held last weekend due to the health crisis, with a total population of 10 million in Portugal.
In Lisbon, 68-year-old retired carpenter Manuel Pinto told the AFP: “I voted for the Socialists because they were needed at this difficult time.”
Despite the “some disappointments” in the Socialist Party, political expert Marina Costa Lobo described the majority of voters as “more talented and experienced than Rio”.
Antonio Costa Pinto, a researcher at the University of Lisbon’s Institute of Social Sciences, says Portugal’s political future looks “uncertain.”
Despite the failure of recent budget talks, Costa may seek to rebuild the left-wing union, calling for more efforts to improve purchasing power and public services due to the “lack of sense of responsibility” of his two former allies. .
He may talk to his opponent, Roy Rio, and negotiate with him about the Social Democrats’ abstention from voting on the general budget and try to make sure it is accepted as soon as possible.
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