LISBON, Portugal: Portugal was due to name a new prime minister on Wednesday after the final results of the March 10 general election were announced after overseas votes were counted.
After a narrow victory, the leader of the centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD), Luis Montenegro, is expected to be Portugal’s next prime minister, replacing the socialist Antonio Costa.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa welcomed Montenegro to the presidential palace on Wednesday night ahead of the completion of the results abroad.
Montenegro said he had told Sousa that his party was ready to take over the government and, “as a consequence of that, to be named prime minister”.
This meeting was the last step in the negotiations that Sousa had planned with the members of parliament before inviting the winner of the election to form the next government.
The AD won 29.5 percent of the vote and at least 79 seats, but is far from a majority in the 230-member parliament, according to near-complete official results.
The incumbent Socialist Party (PS), which has been in power for eight years, came in second with at least 77 seats.
Even with the support of the tiny business-friendly Liberal Initiative (IL) party, AD needs the support of the anti-immigration Chega party to achieve a parliamentary majority of 116 seats.
Even with the backing of the tiny business-friendly Liberal Initiative (IL) party, the AD would still need the support of anti-immigration party Chega to reach a majority of 116 seats in the assembly.
However, Montenegro has ruled out forming a coalition with Chega, which won 48 seats, insisting it plans to form a minority government.
Chega leader Andre Ventura warned of political instability if AD continues to refuse to form a coalition.
Ventura said if there is no government agreement, the AD will be responsible for the instability in the country.
