Lisbon According to media forecasts, the ruling Socialist Party (PS) has won the new parliamentary elections in Portugal. According to a voter survey by the state television station RTP, which is considered very reliable, Prime Minister António Costa’s social-democratic PS received between 37 and 42 percent of the votes on Sunday. The Socialists can even hope for an absolute majority in Parliament. According to estimates, at least 41 percent of the votes are necessary for this.
However, it is considered more likely that the 60-year-old Costa will continue to depend on the support of smaller left-wing parties. A grand coalition or far-reaching cooperation with the conservative-oriented Social Democratic Party (PSD) led by top candidate Rui Rio is considered very unlikely. Costas PS and Rios PSD are the two big traditional parties in Portugal.
According to the RTP forecast, the PSD once more took second place with 30 to 35 percent. Other Portuguese media published similar figures in the evening shortly following the last polling stations in the Azores closed. At the TV station SIC, the PS came to 37.4 to 41.1 percent. In the previous election in autumn 2019, the PS won 36.3 percent, the PSD received 27.8 percent.
More: New elections in Portugal – Why budget discipline is already certain as the election winner
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