Portugal Conservative Luis Montenegro Gets Mandate for New Government
In the March 10 election, his alliance won a narrow victory over the Socialists, who can now support him
Luis Montenegro, leader of the Democratic Alliance, the center-right party that won the last election, will be the man in charge of trying to form a new government in Portugal.
President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Souza entrusted this mandate to Montenegro after his victory, albeit by a narrow margin, in the March 10 elections. The Democratic Alliance (which includes the Social Democratic Party PDS, the Social Democratic Centrist People’s Party CDS-PP, and the Monarchist Party PPM) won 80 seats, with 116 out of 230 needed for a majority.
The second force, the Socialists of outgoing Prime Minister Antonio Costa, have 78, while the third, the nationalist right-wing Chega (Enough), the real surprise of the electoral round, has 50. Lisbon’s unicameral parliament will meet on March 26, and Montenegro explained that he will announce the names of his cabinet on the 28th. A thorny road to trust is likely to follow. Chega would like to be part of the executive branch, but Democratic Alliance leaders have repeatedly said they will not go along with the far-right formation.
Analysts say it is possible that the solution will be a (not very stable) minority government supported by socialists to ensure credibility. The leader of the country’s second largest force, Pedro Nuno Santos, said that as long as Chega is not part of the government, he would not oppose such a decision.